Note to Self
Manoush Zomordi and Jen Poyant, WNYC
Two working moms dedicate all their time to starting a tech company meant to ease the burdens of both rising at work and being a present at home, only to find themselves unable to strike any personal work-life balance. WNYC dives into this story in a four-episode series on its podcast, “Note to Self.” The series follows Brooklyn entrepreneurs Rachael Ellison and Leslie Walker, who launch an app called “Need/Done” that helps working parents manage tasks like childcare, grocery shopping and meal planning. The series, which has one episode to go, reveals the obstacles and successes of real entrepreneurs. It also shows how women strategize in moments of difficulty — and how, in the process of building a business to help others, it can be easy to lose track of yourself.
The Gender Gap in Startup Success Disappears When Women Fund Women
Sahil Raina, Harvard Business Review
If you’re a woman in business looking to venture capital for financing, you’d be well-advised to look for a VC firm led by a woman. Extensive research of the industry by Sahil Raina shows that female entrepreneurs who get financed by female-led VC firms are much more likely to achieve a successful exit versus female startups financed by male-led VC firms. Why? He argues that female-led VCs are better at evaluating the potential of female-led companies. Moreover, when female entrepreneurs pair up with highly involved female VC general partners, their performance can really take off.
Meet the Trump-Supporting Women of the RNC
Tessa Stuart, Rolling Stone
While 70 percent of women have expressed an unfavorable view of Donald Trump, 30% support him — some very proudly. Take the group Women Vote Trump, which hosted a panel called, “What Women Problem?” on the first day of the Republican National Convention. Unfortunately for them, only 15 women attended. Ann Stone, the group’s co-chair, joined the Trump campaign with the goal of attracting the women’s vote. She argues that women no longer struggle with big gender inequalities and that support for Trump among women is much higher than polls suggest. “I live in Atlanta, in suburbia, and I can tell you that probably 75 to 90 percent of the women on my street are supporting Donald Trump,” she said. The cameras were zoomed in on the speakers. No one at home would know how few women were in the room.
In Death, Qandeel Baloch, Pakistani Social Media Star, Is Celebrated as a Feminist Hero
Karen Zraick, New York Times
Qandeel Baloch, a 26-year-old social media celebrity and female activist in Pakistan, was killed last week in an “honor killing” by her brother. Though her sexy photos and videos were seen as provocative and controversial, Baloch was also regarded as a symbol of women’s empowerment. She had developed a substantial following of Pakistani women in her generation looking for individuality and the ability to express themselves — as well as men who liked to look at her. While Baloch’s death is being celebrated by some in conservative Pakistan, 3,000 people have signed an online petition posted by a feminist collective condemning the murder and honoring her bravery. “She was our Qandeel: a working class woman, a Third World feminist, a disruptor and a firebrand who dared to do as she pleased, despite threats to her life,” the petition reads. Quandeel has inspired a movement, and she will not be the last to test the boundaries.
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