Emoji Feminism
Amy Butcher, The New York Times
People who enjoy using emojis in messages might have noticed that women are woefully absent among the tiny figures that stand in for various professions. Yes, even in the relatively innocuous world of emoticons, representation issues abound. Butcher takes a tongue-in-cheek look at why this matters — and how, in lieu of little female cops, teachers and chefs, the Flamenco dancer has helped her celebrate the career achievements of women in her life.
Plight of the Funny Female
Olga Khazan, The Atlantic
“If men and women are clearly capable of being equally funny, why does humor by non-famous women so often go unappreciated?” Through anecdotes and interviews, Khazan delves into the reasons why women tend to be regarded as, well, not funny. What follows is an interesting look at how risk aversion, sexual interest and other seemingly unrelated factors play into male and female approaches to humor.
The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of Disliking Hillary Clinton
Deborah Tannen, TIME
Women in most fields grapple with the dreaded “double bind,” and politics is certainly no different. But as Tannen notes, there can be a self-fulfilling element to the predicaments that face leaders like Hillary Clinton. “Part of the reason that [people] see, and depict, her as stiff and measured … is what she herself said recently: she’s not a natural politician,” she writes. “But another part of it, no doubt, is that she has had so much experience having her words and actions turned against her, it’s no wonder she might be cautious in choosing them.”
Why So Many Thirty-Something Women are Leaving Your Company
Christie Hunter Arscott, Harvard Business Review
Many company leaders think women of a certain age leave their firms to start or raise families. But as one recent study found, that often isn’t the case. “According to women themselves (and in sharp contrast to the perceptions of their leaders), the primary factor influencing their decision to leave their organizations is pay.” In addition to clearing up a widely held misconception, Arscott offers some sage advice to managers who wonder why they’re losing female talent: “Ask, don’t assume.”
*Bonus*
What The Evolution Of Women’s Roles In Stock Photos Says About Gender Equality
Lydia Dishman, Fast Company
There were too many great articles to choose from, so this week, we’re offering five Friday reads! On the topic of representation, Getty Images’ director of visual trends Pamela Grossman says that simply increasing the number of women in photographs isn’t enough. “Are women playing protagonists or ancillary roles in an image?” she wonders. To drive the narrative, Grossman has overseen multiple initiatives, including curation of the organization’s Lean In Collection (done in partnership with LeanIn.Org). After all, it’s what clients want — Getty says it experienced a 402 percent jump in searches for the phrase “woman entrepreneur” in the last year.
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