Jamie Norwood 29 COFOUNDER, STIX Her reproductive-health brand (with $7 million funding) sells pregnancy, ovulation, UTI tests online to 100,000-plus customers. Post–Roe v. Wade, Stix gives needy women its morning-after pill at no cost. Bunny Ghatrora 28 COFOUNDER, BLUME Puberty problems? Blume creates all-natural pads, tampons, deodorant, face wash and acne treatment for young women’s changing bodies. The company has raised $5 million at a $14 million valuation. Claire Coder 25 FOUNDER, AUNT FLOW Millions of menstruators, breathe easy. Google, Netflix and 500 other companies pay Columbus, Ohio–based Aunt Flow to stock 17,000 bathrooms with free tampon and pad dispensers. Funding: $13 million. Greta Meyer 25 Amanda Calabrese 25 COFOUNDERS, SEQUEL These Stanford-educated engineers are using $5 million in funding to reinvent the tampon with a spiral design that absorbs more evenly. FDA approval is expected this year. Trend Lines THE ALL-AMERICAN GIN-NAISSANCE Bathtub…

‘I was mesmerised by her tales’ Siobhan Wykes, Editor-in-Chief, Hertfordshire My gran (my dad’s mum) was just 60 when she died, so I only had 10 years with her. She lived in Kentish Town, North London, in a house with an outside loo, a collection of glass clowns and lots of red lipsticks and jewellery. She smelt of a perfume called ‘Devon Cockington Violets’, called me ‘child’ and made dresses for a living, teaching me how to sew, a skill that comes in handy to this day. She loved to tell stories and often took my sister and I to the theatre (the cheap seats). I think she inspired a need to tell stories in me and my sister, and I would be mesmerised by her tales. She rode a motorbike in a…

“The 2024 presidential campaign is under way, Lord help us,” said The Wall Street Journal, and the Republican Party now has a second official candidate: Nikki Haley. The former governor of South Carolina launched her campaign last week, challenging Donald Trump for the GOP nomination. The 51-year-old has “clear strengths”. As a popular two-term governor who served as America’s UN ambassador under Trump, she has plenty of experience. A child of Indian immigrants, she brings racial and gender diversity to the field. She’s also charismatic and good on the stump. What she lacks, however, is an “obvious core of support” or a distinctive platform. Critics dismiss her as a throwback to the pre-Trump GOP. Haley is “relentlessly upbeat”: as governor she mandated that cabinet agencies answer phone calls from the…

The first thing I knew about writers was that you could not trust them in a group. My older sister is a writer. She went to the University of Iowa for playwriting, and by then, as a precocious teen, I knew it was where the supposedly best novelists studied in the fiction program. “Oh, the fiction writers won’t even talk to us,” my sister told me. “They stay by themselves. And the way they find out if they are doing badly is by their mailboxes. If they don’t like your work, they move your space around so everyone knows it and you lose your funding.” Was this true? Had she been joking? It didn’t matter. I knew by then that I, too, desperately wanted to write. It would be embarrassing, I…

Denis Mukwege, La fuerza de las mujeres. Traducción de Alejandro Pradera. Galaxia Gutenberg, Barcelona, 2022. “El Congo oriental es el lugar más peligroso del mundo para ser mujer” Margot Wallström1 En 2018 el premio Nobel de la Paz recayó sobre el congoleño Denis Mukwege y sobre la joven iraquí de ascendencia yazidí Nadia Murad. Ambos llevan años denunciando el uso de la violencia sexual como arma de guerra, él en la República Democrática del Congo, y ella en Irak durante la ocupación del Estado Islámico. El doctor Denis Mukwege, nacido a las afueras de Bukavu (Congo oriental) en 1955, empezó trabajando en un hospital rural de su tierra en la década de 1980. Después consiguió una plaza en un hospital universitario de Francia, donde pudo apreciar el abismo entre la sanidad de…

«Êtes-vous forte comme un chevalier? Parce que vendre du vin, c’est chevaleresque. » Cette réflexion, l’enseignante-chercheuse Florine Livat-Pécheux l’a entendue de la bouche de l’une de ses étudiantes de la Kedge Business School de Bordeaux qui recherchait un stage dans le monde du vin. Pourtant titulaire d’un Diplôme national d’œnologie (DNO), la jeune étudiante en Mastère spécialisé Management Vins & Spiritueux au sein de la prestigieuse école de commerce bordelaise relatait avec cette anecdote le comportement interprété comme sexiste d’un recruteur de maison de négoce. Autre exemple, Florine Livat-Pécheux entend souvent des élèves en cursus d’œnologie se plaindre de réflexions sur le thème « les femmes ont interdiction de conduire un tracteur ». Inversement, beaucoup de femmes outrepassent ces préjugés sexistes et mènent leur carrière sans rencontrer ou relever de difficultés…

Bellissima, regale (era stato Visconti a insegnarle come prendere possesso della scena: doveva occuparla “a grandi falcate, come una pantera”), estremamente professionale, Claudia Cardinale ha avuto una carriera lunga e densa di film entrati nella storia del cinema. Dal 3 al 21 febbraio una retrospettiva al MoMa permette di vederne i lavori più importanti (in versione restaurata da Cinecittà), mentre un libro edito da Cinecittà ed Electa la racconta sul set e fuori. Nata a Tunisi nel ’38 da una famiglia siciliana, Claudia viene notata all’uscita da scuola da René Vautier, che la fa partecipare al cortometraggio “Les anneaux d’or”, vincitore dell’Orso d’argento a Berlino nel ’58. Ma è la sua presenza in bikini verde smeraldo al Lido di Venezia alla Mostra del Cinema del ’57 che cattura l’attenzione del…

Il 2022 è l’anno di Marilyn Monroe. A 60 anni dalla scomparsa della diva, è sorto un rinnovato interesse verso la sua vita, con il debutto il 23 settembre su Netflix di Blonde, biopic con protagonista Ana de Armas, preceduto da un documentario sui segreti di Marilyn. Insieme a Monroe è tornato il suo glorioso stile: ne è emblema la scelta di Kim Kardashian di calcare il tappeto rosso del MET Gala sfoggiando, fra critiche e ovazioni, l’abito di cristalli che la star hollywoodiana indossò per cantare “Happy Birthday Mr. President” a JFK nel 1962. Qualche mese dopo lo scandoloso omaggio a Marilyn da parte della fashion icon più seguita del momento, Carine Roitfeld, ex direttrice di Vogue Paris, in occasione di quello che sarebbe stato il 96esimo compleanno di…

Radius: A Story of Feminist Revolution by Yasmin El-Rifae. Verso, 218 pp., $24.95 In the fall of 2012, almost two years into the Egyptian revolution, there began to be more and more reports of sexual attacks on women at demonstrations in Egypt. Since President Hosni Mubarak’s ouster in February 2011, the country had been undergoing a chaotic, contentious political transition. An interim military government was dedicated to protecting the interests of the old regime, Islamist parties were pursuing political power, and various prorevolution groups were clamoring for real reforms. Large crowds were still gathering regularly, most often in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. In these crowds, women were encircled by groups of men, stripped, beaten, raped, and dragged from one end of the square to the other. Sometimes hundreds of men were involved;…

It looks as though 2023 is going to be Michelle Yeoh’s biggest year so far. After turning 60 last August, the actress is leading a group of formidably talented women of a similar age who are riding high both personally and professionally. And Malaysian-born Michelle has real reason to celebrate. This year, she became the first Asian to receive a Best Actress nomination at the Academy Awards for Everything Everywhere All at Once. Her role in the comedy-drama has already won her a host of trophies, including a Golden Globe in January and a London Film Critics’ Circle award last week. Michelle rose to fame in Hong Kong action films before landing a role in 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies, which catapulted her into high-profile parts in hit movies including Crazy Rich Asians and Crouching…

‘I GAVE THE WORLD’S FIRST COVID-19 VACCINE’ May Parsons, 42, has worked as a nurse within the NHS since 2003, after moving to the UK from the Philippines. In December 2020, she made history when she administered the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine outside of clinical trials. She is currently the Modern Matron for Respiratory at University Hospitals in Coventry. She lives in Warwickshire with her husband and two children. We were all scared when the pandemic hit, in March 2020. But when I trained to be a nurse, I made a commitment to help people, and fear was not going to stop me. Because of my experience in respiratory care, I volunteered to work in the ITU (intensive care unit). For six weeks, I witnessed what can only be described as a clinical…

Hoy ya hay más mujeres que hombres que se gradúan en la universidad. Sin embargo, aunque la mujer representa un 45 % del empleo, solo alcanza un 11 % de puestos directivos, según datos de Womenalia, plataforma de networking femenino. Solo el 8 % de los directores generales que dirigen las empresas de la lista Fortune 500 son mujeres. Según datos de la OCDE, la retribución media anual femenina de los países desarrollados es entre un 2 % y un 50 % inferior a la masculina. La razón que se presenta en algunos estudios para dar una explicación a esos datos es que las mujeres tienden a evitar situaciones de competitividad, lo que supuestamente no sucede con los hombres. Esto dejaría el camino despejado para que ellos ganaran puestos de responsabilidad…

“COMMENT LUTTER CONTRE LE SEXISME DANS LE SPORT ?” : la première table ronde, modérée par la journaliste Capucine Graby, s’est ouverte sur le constat de l’invisibilisation des femmes dans les médias sportifs grâce aux expériences d’Allison Pineau, championne de handball, et de Laura Georges, secrétaire générale et de la Fédération Française de Football. Une différence de traitement qui s’explique par l’interdiction historique des femmes de pratiquer le sport et les faibles budgets alloués aux clubs féminins. Pour Nathalie Iannetta, directrice des sports de Radio France, les solutions passeront par le volontarisme et la contrainte à un traitement plus paritaire des acteurs du secteur. « C’est plus difficile de recruter des femmes dans le service des sports. Il faut aller les chercher plus loin que les garçons. » Même constat…

Con Amy Roko siamo sedute in macchina per raggiungere la prima location del nostro servizio, è il giorno in cui il suo singolo di debutto, “Seebee”, è appena uscito sulla piattaforma di streaming araba, Anghami. La prima frase, in italiano significa «Mollalo, sorella!». Comica, rapper e beauty influencer, Amy Roko ha raggiunto il successo nel 2015 su Vine grazie ai suoi sketch comici che l’hanno rapidamente portata a ottenere milioni di follower. Oggi l’influencer saudita, conosciuta col suo pseudonimo online, è direttrice creativa di Insomnia Records, ha all’attivo una miriade di campagne di make-up e dal giorno della nostra intervista può ufficialmente definirsi una musicista professionista. Amy ha infatti anche un’etichetta di moda che porta il suo nome e produce felpe colorate con cappuccio: un simbolo di gioia e gioventù. Amy offre…

Suffragists are supporters of women’s voting rights. Women from around the world assembled in Washington, D.C., on March 3, 1913. They were in the U.S. capital to be part of a major event. American suffragists had organized the first national parade to raise awareness for their fight for women’s right to vote. The parade took place on the day before Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration as the new U.S. president. The organizers hoped to gain publicity and support for the cause of universal women’s suffrage. Ida B. Wells-Barnett was there, too. Just months earlier, she had founded her Alpha Suffrage Club. It was the first Black women’s suffrage group. Wells-Barnett intended to march in the parade on behalf of both women and African Americans. However, when southern white suffragists learned that African American women…

International Women’s Day 8 MARCH This month marks International Women’s Day. On 8 March, under the theme #EmbraceEquity, women all over the world will be celebrated. But, how do we achieve equity in a society where women are still paid less and take on more responsibility in the home? Changes are happening: society has begun to recognise the importance of women in food, and there are lots of brilliant women doing incredible things. Here, we speak to some of them about their experiences in the industry, and what advice they would give to others seeking a career in food. 1 THE AUTHOR Rinku Dutt runs Raastawala (raastawala.com), a Kolkata street-food company, and is the author of Kolkata (£26, Smith Street Books). Which women do you admire in food? My mother, and Garima Arora –…

El panorama del deporte femenino en la actualidad es muy distinto del que existía hace algunas décadas. Esto gracias a los esfuerzos y sacrificios de parte de atletas como Billie Jean King, la campeona de tenis que consiguió que se igualaran los premios para hombresy mujeres en el US Open; Kathrine Switzer, la primera mujer en participar en el maratón de Boston, prueba que completó a pesar de que el mismo director de la carrera intentó removerla; Lusia Harris, primera y única mujer seleccionada en el draft de la NBA en un tiempo en que no existía una liga femenina de basquetbol profesional, y Enriqueta Basilio, la primera mujer en portar la antorcha y encender el pebetero en unos Juegos Olímpicos, hito que ocurrió en la capital mexicana hace medio…

El primer día la informaron. Cada mañana, cuando llegara al trabajo, Bae Soyeon tenía que lavar los platos. Y limpiar la nevera o la oficina. Durante la jornada, servía el té a los clientes de sus jefes. Este fue el primer empleo de Bae Soyeon tras dejar la escuela: trabajaba en el departamento de exportación de una compañía naviera. Es licenciada en Comercio Internacional. Había asumido esas tareas sin problemas. “Mientras las mujeres limpiábamos, nuestros colegas varones fumaban o hablaban”. En Angel-in-us, una especie de Starbucks coreano donde charlamos, esta treintañera nos habla de la vida cotidiana de miles de jóvenes licenciadas en Corea del Sur. A nuestro alrededor, la generación Z teclea en Kakao Talk, el WhatsApp coreano. La ahora directora de contenidos de NomadHer, una aplicación que pone en…

La parité en Formule 1 n’est pas pour demain, même si les mentalités évoluent dans ce domaine. Les femmes y ont longtemps été cantonnées à des activités de service, comme hôtesses dans les motor-homes, cuisinières, serveuses ou attachées de presse. Voire grid-girls, jusqu’à ce qu’elles disparaissent des grilles de départ. On se souvient aussi des femmes de pilotes, à l’instar de Nina Rindt ou Helen Stewart, dans les années 1960-1970, qui tenaient les chronos avant que cette activité ne se professionnalise avec les Françaises Michèle Dubosc, chez Matra, ou Anne Boisnard, chez Renault F1. Il a fallu attendre le changement de siècle pour que les portes des départements techniques s’ouvrent aux femmes. Aujourd’hui, des dizaines d’entre elles sont présentes à des postes clés : ingénieures, techniciennes, mécaniciennes motoristes ou encore chimistes…

Dopo aver vissuto in Iran i suoi primi 25 anni, sognando di trasferirsi in Italia, nel 2012 Vida Diba ha rotto gli indugi ed è partita. «Quando sono arrivata a Padova mi sono sentita a casa», ci racconta. Oggi fa base a Vicenza, dove lavora con WRÅD, la società che aiuta le aziende ad avere un approccio più ecologico e responsabile. E benché dalla sua posizione di expat abbia sempre evocato la bellezza del suo Paese di origine, si rende conto che «in realtà per 10 anni sono rimasta in silenzio». A farla parlare, finalmente, sono state le manifestazioni seguite alla morte di Mahsa Amini, avvenuta il 16 settembre scorso. È da quel momento che Vida Diba è scesa nelle piazze di molte città italiane ed europee a lottare per…