Latest Updates from Circle of Women

mothernaturenetwork: Kristof is experimenting with using social...

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:32:13 -0500

Kristof is experimenting with using social media entertainment to educate and inspire a new generation.

‘It will be vaguely analogous to FarmVille. You’ll have a village, and in order to nurture this village, you’ll have to look after the women and girls in the village. Actions in the game will also have real-world effects. In other words, there will be schools and refugee camps that will benefit if you do well in the game.’

For all of you gamers that also want to support women’s education and refugee camps. So cool!

Instead of Work, Younger Women Head to School

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:03:30 -0500

Instead of Work, Younger Women Head to School:

“Workers are dropping out of the labor force in droves, and they are mostly women. In fact, many are young women. But they are not dropping out forever; instead, these young women seem to be postponing their working lives to get more education. There are now — for the first time in three decades — more young women in school than in the work force.”

How is this impacting the economy and the workforce as a whole?

"As Xinran, an authority on population drives, has observed, even urban, well-educated women feel..."

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 11:18:50 -0500

“As Xinran, an authority on population drives, has observed, even urban, well-educated women feel like failures if they become pregnant with a girl in a country where, for the most part, only single children are permitted. If the girl is lucky enough to live and be adopted abroad, a woman told Xinran, “it leaves a black hole in the mother’s heart and unanswered questions in the daughter’s.””

- China’s making some money these days—but it’s people are still quite repressed. (via newsweek)

Saudi Women to Vote without Male Approval...But More Progress Needed

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 21:44:00 -0500

Saudi Women to Vote without Male Approval...But More Progress Needed:

“RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Women in Saudi Arabia will not need a male guardian’s approval to run or vote in municipal elections in 2015, when women will also run for office for the first time, a Saudi official said Wednesday. The change signifies a step forward in easing the kingdom’s restrictions against women, but it falls far short of what some Saudi reformers are calling for. ….Despite the historic decision by the king to allow women the right to participate in the country’s only open elections, male guardian laws in Saudi Arabia remain largely unchanged. Women cannot travel, work, study abroad, marry, get divorced or gain admittance to a public hospital without permission from a male guardian.”

poptech: North Indian ‘Apni Beti’ Program Strikes a Blow Against Child Marriage In a cement-walled...

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:42:29 -0500

poptech:

North Indian ‘Apni Beti’ Program Strikes a Blow Against Child Marriage

In a cement-walled room at the end of a rutted road in the rural Indian district of Bhiwani, a teenage girl named Lado sits in a shaft of sunlight and talks confidently about her future. “I want to be a math teacher,” says the 17-year-old, her printed green scarf falling on to her lap. “I tell my parents, ‘Do whatever you want, but educate me. Let me go to school.’”

Welcome to the front lines of the fight to stop child marriage in a country where nearly half of all girls wed before age 18. The weapon of choice: cash.

Lado is part of an innovative program called Apni Beti Apni Dhan, or Our Daughters, Our Wealth. Launched in 1994 by the northern state of Haryana, the program gives poor families 500 rupees ($11, the equivalent of less than half a week’s pay) when a daughter is born, and also deposits money into a savings account. If the girl turns 18 unwed, she is eligible to redeem the bond, worth 25,000 rupees (roughly $500, or one third of an average yearly income). The earliest of the program’s approximately 150,000 enrolleesturn 18 next year, offering a rare chance to study whether the program offers a solution other states—and countries—can use.

Whether it can be tied directly to Apni Beti or not, child marriage is on the decline in Haryana, which saw an 18 percent drop in the practice between 1992 and 2006. Haryana community workers say that thus far none of the program’s beneficiaries have been married off by their parents, who know of the program’s promised payout. The girls must sign for the bond, but it is likely their parents will have control of it because of social norms, and most of the girls say they want their parents to use it for their education anyway.

Is Women's Equality Misrepresented In The Media?

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:42:13 -0500

cwealf:

The question is a tough one, and really, it all depends on where you look and what your media of choice is. Some outlets clearly are better or more objective than others are when it comes to shedding light on the current state of women’s equality. Overall, the media is doing a good job of bringing to the forefront many issues that affect women, such as pay inequality. However, it is lacking in other areas.

While men were the clear losers during this recent recession, or ‘Mancession’ as it has been named (a ridiculous play on words, but what can you do?) the equally absurdly titled ‘hecovery’ has supposedly left women out in the cold. Both Forbes and the Huffington Post ran articles in the past week about the recovery and women’s place in it.

Though the media has done its work in bringing the plight of women in the workplace to the forefront, it could be argued that they are confronting the wrong issues, or overstating what they are bringing to print and TV. MSNBC had a brief piece on the ‘mancession’ and ‘hecovery,’ Deborah L. Jacobs ran a piece in Forbes, and the Huffington Post also ran an article talking about women’s inability to recover along with the men in this ‘hecovery.’ These pieces seem to point out that women are once again lagging behind in being hired or rehired. Deborah Jacob’s piece references an Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) report early in her article, but right there on the front page of the IWPR, there are statistics that show that the reverse could be true. According to the study, she references, in November women gained 65,000 jobs in the workforce, while men gained only 55,000. Another piece by, oddly enough a man, Greg Burns of the Chicago Tribune outlines the woes of men in the workplace.

It is all about perspective I suppose, especially when it comes to the workplace. What is harder to slant is the still evident disparity of pay between men and women. That may be a subject for another story however.

While women’s rights are more in the forefront in the past couple of years, this could have something to do with the fact that the 24-hour news cycle has become a force in and of itself. Combine this with the fact that there are more women in the media than ever before, and you can see why women’s rights are being talked about a fair amount. There are more female correspondents in the workforce, so their opportunity to bring attention to the public is much greater.

One avenue that is clearly getting a great deal of attention, and it isn’t misrepresented, is the plight of many women in third world countries and the women that reside in the countries where we are currently fighting wars. It doesn’t take long to run across an article from any media outlet about the conditions that women in Afghanistan, Iraq and other parts of Southeast Asia and the Middle East face.

A venue in which women’s rights are being misrepresented or overplayed is the election cycles of the past few years. Take Hillary Clinton for example. During the last presidential election, several things that were seemingly harmless were quickly called chauvinistic or misogynistic and people were playing the gender card quicker than a joker on nickel poker night. On the flip side, this year when Herman Cain was facing scrutiny for his alleged infidelity and sexual harassment history, he and his supporters quickly attacked and demonized the women which further pushes women’s rights into the background.

In short, or by now in long, women have much more of a voice in the media. The major issues that severely affect women are being represented and represented well. The issues closer to home such as women’s rights in the workplace, pay differential and sexual harassment seem to be lagging behind. Perhaps these issues are being overlooked because of the strides made by women in the media and without.

—

R. Singh

Sources:
http://www.iwpr.org/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahljacobs/2011/12/06/economic-recovery-is-gender-biased-study-suggests/
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-12-02/site/ct-oped-1103-workingman-20111202_1_job-training-decline-in-manufacturing-jobs-degree-gap

A beautiful video by #ItOnlyTakesAGirl. Take a moment to watch!

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:41:45 -0500

A beautiful video by #ItOnlyTakesAGirl. Take a moment to watch!

Afghan Women Remind World Leaders: Don’t Forget Us Afghan...

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:33:24 -0500

Afghan Women Remind World Leaders: Don’t Forget Us

Afghan women say that they want and welcome peace, but they do not want it at the cost of their right to work and go to school.

Interesting info video by the Economist Online about...

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 15:30:00 -0500

Interesting info video by the Economist Online about Egypt—women may work outside the home, go to school and university, and are free to vote and run in all elections but still lag behind in education and the labour market. What are your thoughts? What are the barriers that still prevent women from achieving parity?

“Sometimes you see your own country more sharply from a...

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 23:12:05 -0500

“Sometimes you see your own country more sharply from a distance. That’s how I felt as I dropped in on a shack in this remote area of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. The head of the impoverished household during the week is a malnourished 14-year-old girl, Dao Ngoc Phung. She’s tiny, standing just 4 feet 11 inches and weighing 97 pounds. Yet if Phung is achingly fragile, she’s also breathtakingly strong. You appreciate the challenges that America faces in global competitiveness when you learn that Phung is so obsessed with schoolwork that she sets her alarm for 3 a.m. each day.”

-From “Girls Just Want to Go to School” - Nicholas Kristof

Women are the 1%

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:55:00 -0500

“Women Own 1% of the World’s Property…Occupy That”

writes Soraya Chemaly in an article on the Huffington Post today. “There must be a good reason for this startling fact. Especially since, according to UN gender reports, women perform 66% of the world’s work, produce 50% of its food and earn a whopping 10% of its income…

…How much poorer do we want women to get in the world? It’s really hard to imagine. They already make up the overwhelming majority of the world’s poor. And, despite the successes of feminists (yes, men and women) during the past century, even in the U.S. we have a persistent and growing feminization of poverty.

If you doubt what I’m saying just because you have to then look at Half The Sky, or We Are Equals or The Girl Effect or any number of readily available sources. These organizations are not fly-by-night hobbies for people with not enough macrame to occupy them. These are big, serious international movements created by thoughtful, kind and empathetic thinkers and doers dedicated to changing the world.”

At Circle of Women, we are also looking to provide women with the resources to break away from this number. Education is the first step in changing how girls see the world and the opportunities that are available to them. Do something today to change a girl’s life. It is by changing one girl, one community, that we can affect millions. Girls and women shouldn’t be thought of as a number at all.

What are your thoughts on Occupy Wall-Street and the role women? Are there intrinsic issues of gender equality at play that are equally pressing?

thelevisgirl: Tammy Tibbetts, Shape What’s to Come education...

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 12:49:21 -0500

thelevisgirl:

Tammy Tibbetts, Shape What’s to Come education ambassador and founder of She’s the First— a non-profit that promotes importance of girls’ education— is always looking for people that share her passion for changing the lives of young women.

She found this same passion in the people behind 10x10, a documentary about improving the world, starting with educating girls in disadvantaged countries. Tammy spoke to the film’s project manager, Lauren Mitte, about her role in the production of the film and how each of us can take action to help create the world these women envision.

How many times have you seen a documentary, only to be moved to tears or anger at a social injustice by the time the credits rolled? Now aware, did you do anything to improve the issue? No need to feel guilty if you haven’t—most movie tickets don’t come with a social action plan. But that won’t be the case when you see10x10.

10x10 (10x10act.org) is a multifaceted, multi-year project that matches storytelling with an action plan for advocacy on behalf of girls worldwide. An alarming majority of girls in developing countries never get the chance to go to school or graduate, trapping them in lives of poverty. A key element of the project is a film that will follow 10 girls in 10 countries. These girls’ stories will be told by 10 acclaimed writers from their country. Now in production, behind-the-scenes footage and travel diaries from the producers are already starting an action-oriented movement on 10x10act.org and its social media outlets.

Just as it takes a village to educate one girl, it takes an entire veteran team to launch a project as monumental and transformative as 10x10. But a key link among all the moving pieces is a Millennial woman: Lauren Mitte, 10x10’s  project manager.

Days before her team embarked on a trip to Ethiopia, I called her office at ABC Studios in New York City (10x10 is produced by The Documentary Group, originally founded by legendary ABC broadcaster Peter Jennings). She shared how she shaped her career path to jump from feature films to documentaries and how you can be part of the 10x10 campaign to shape a better future for girls around the world.

TT: What are the goals of 10x10?

LM: The goal of the project is to improve the lives of girls around the world. It’s that simple. In many parts of the world, girls are treated as second-class citizens and denied the opportunity to shape their own future – just because they are girls.  10x10 seeks to change that by focusing attention on the proven benefits you unlock when you educate a girl.

TT: How are you going to reach this goal?

LM: By using the skills we know best: telling stories. We will tell hundreds of stories throughout the production process and then the 10 most powerful in the feature film. By sharing those stories through a network of partners – CARE, Room To Read, World Vision and others – we raise awareness, and with each story, we invite individuals to act.

Sponsor a girl’s scholarship, become a mentor, volunteer your time, share a call to action, lobby congress, apply for a fellowship to work in the developing world – there are many ways people in the US can help shape the future for girls around the world, and the time is now.

We want to inspire 1 million actions on behalf of girls and we want to reach at least 100 million people with 10x10 stories of girl power.

TT: What’s your role in the project?

LM: I manage the day-to-day operations of 10x10. We typically have meetings with our production team and our partnership directors about support they need for engaging organizations. They are going to Ethiopia on Monday, for example, so it’s about talking to different NGOs that aren’t just our core partners to find stories and action ideas. I coordinate the editorial calendar for the trip: what stories are we going to write and what are the appropriate actions for each. I post their dispatches on our blog, Facebook page and Twitter, and I will create a map pinpointing where they are traveling. We want to open up the filmmaking process and invite people in. That is the fun, editorial social media side. We collect content from our production team that we can feed into the campaign and social media and then match it with an action. We will research different actions we can tie to whatever the story is and the organization involved. We want to point people to an immediate action they can take, so it’s very crystal clear on what they can do to help.

TT: So what can someone do after reading this interview with you?

LM: The best thing you can do is to fan us on Facebook and share our page with 10 friends today. Why? Because the power to change comes from individuals standing with us. Facebook is a really easy way to stand up and be counted and say, “I support girls.” We will be using Facebook as our lead interface with supporters, so it is a great place to get the latest information. Then visit our TAKE ACTION page 10x10act.org and DO SOMETHING!

Really what inspires me are the stories of the girls. They are little revolutionaries in their own right and they are ready to take on the world. When our team sends us dispatches or we see video clips, it’s so amazing, and we see that if you create conditions that get girls in good schools and keep them there, incredible things can happen. Also, I am developing a young ambassadors program for people interested in a deeper engagement. Write to me and let me know you’re interested in being a champion for 10x10.

TT: What’s been the greatest lesson you’ve learned so far in working on 10x10?

LM: You just have to be flexible, and you have to stay on your toes when you’re doing something that’s fairly new and there’s not really a preexisting model to follow. This new kind of filmmaking – not pure documentary, but not fiction either – tied to advocacy, it’s about pulling together partnerships and grassroots activism, tying it into storytelling. It’s a complex undertaking. Be open to change and new ideas, and don’t be afraid to express yourself.

TT: Even though you’re a pioneer in advocacy filmmaking, what organizations or campaigns do you look to as inspiration?

LM: We look to the Girl Up campaign for inspiration; they are one of our partners and their campaign is on fire! For ideas on how to have a great social media presence, we follow the Girl Effect. They really know how to use these tools to communicate with their audience. They make people feel like they are part of the collective action. And in terms of a fresh, modern approach, Charity Water is doing great things.

TT: What kind of obstacles are you looking to overcome now?

LM: The technology is kind of tricky. We are just now developing our web site to be media rich and provide a short cut to actions people can take, and now that we have a new web team in place, we will be able to put our heads together with people who have that as their area of expertise.

TT: Where are you from originally and where did your career in film begin?

LM: I am originally from Austin, TX. The community is a great breeding ground for new filmmakers, musicians, artists and people who have an entrepreneurial spirit. When film started to pique my interest [in high school], I got to PA on some small films. I then wanted to go where the film and TV industry is centered, so I decided to apply for schools in LA. I ended up going to a small liberal arts school, Occidental College, where there are many programs that focus on global issues and the cross-cultural experience. Most of my coursework was in film and psychology.

TT: What did you do after college?

LM: After I graduated, I coordinated commercials and associate produced feature films shot in LA. I worked abroad for a little bit on independent films in Amsterdam and London. I met some wonderful directors who served as my mentors who let me wear many hats. You have to have that can-do attitude and anticipate the needs of the directors & producers. I was eager to show I could work hard!

TT: When did you make the jump into nonfiction film in New York?

LM: I crossed back over the pond, and I didn’t want to go back to LA; I didn’t miss the long commutes across town. New York appeared to be the best bet. It is a hub for so many different industries, so I came here and pursued my interest in documentary filmmaking. I’d email people and request an informational meeting, saying that I was thinking of transitioning and asking if they had five minutes to sit with me and chat. When I came to The Documentary Group, I started as the Executive Assistant to Tom Yellin, knowing I wanted to eventually branch out and earn my way into a new position.

TT: After a hard day, what is a mantra or something that inspires you to keep going?

LM: I always remind myself of the people behind the stories that we are collecting. Like a girl from Cambodia who works to the bone every day in the rice fields, lugging water, commuting five miles to school, back home again, repeating her chores until 10 p.m.  Or the girl who wants nothing more than a library full of books for her village. They remind you why you’re doing what you’re doing. To change a life is a gift.

TT: How are you shaping what’s to come?

LM: Since day one of my involvement with the 10x10 project, I felt the magnitude and the urgent need for storytelling tied to advocacy leading to impact, so I’m hoping that I’ll be able to carry the lessons I learn from this campaign with me to the next compelling story waiting to be told. Social media has transformed the way people communicate, and it’s all about creating a community around a good cause you are passionate about to affect change in the world. It’s amazing and there’s so much potential there.

teachersworldwide: “The impact of education on demography is widely known and acknowledged....

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 15:50:59 -0500

teachersworldwide:

“The impact of education on demography is widely known and acknowledged. Education for women and girls, in particular, translates into lifetime benefits including higher incomes and lower child and maternal mortality. Not only do they know more about contraception, they are also determined to find a job, strive for independence and with more diversified centres of interest, are more acutely aware of the conflict between bringing up children and having time to themselves. Equally, women who have been educated will want the same for their children, and prefer to have fewer children so as to guarantee them a better education.”

—

UNGEI - News and Events - Education in a world of 7 billion people

A primary school becomes a model for increasing girls' enrolment

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 15:49:13 -0500

A primary school becomes a model for increasing girls' enrolment:

teachersworldwide:

[WESTERN EQUATORIA, South Sudan] Access to education is one of the key priorities for the government of the world’s newest nation, South Sudan. Seventy per cent of children aged 6 to 17 have never set foot in a classroom. The completion rate in primary schools is only 21 per cent, one of the lowest in the world.

Baya Primary School in Western Equatoria has become the envy of other schools in the state. The school is successfully using its own child clubs, not only to increase girls’ enrolment but also encourage dropouts to join the Accelerated Learning Programme (ALP).

“In 20 years,” Wood told me, “I’d like to have 100,000...

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 15:48:00 -0500

“In 20 years,” Wood told me, “I’d like to have 100,000 libraries, reaching 50 million kids. Our 50-year goal is to reverse the notion that any child can be told ‘you were born in the wrong place at the wrong time and so you will not get educated.’ That idea belongs on the scrapheap of human history.”

“He also runs Room to Read with an aggressive businesslike efficiency that he learned at Microsoft, attacking illiteracy as if it were Netscape. He tells supporters that they aren’t donating to charity but making an investment: Where can you get more bang for the buck than starting a library for $5,000? “

-Nicholas Kristof on John Wood, whose charity, Room to Read, has opened 12,000 of these libraries around the world, along with 1,500 schools. Read more here: His Libraries, 12,000 So Far, Change Lives

"What’s needed isn’t just birth-control pills or IUDs. It’s also girls’ education and women’s rights..."

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 10:31:41 -0500

“What’s needed isn’t just birth-control pills or IUDs. It’s also girls’ education and women’s rights — starting with an end to child marriages — for educated women mostly have fewer children.”

- Nicholas D. Kristof in his latest article “The Birth Control Solution“

Progress for Women, but a Long Way to Go

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 20:53:00 -0400

Some key issues brought in an interesting article released recently by the NY Times.

“In a year of some major successes for women — the Nobel Peace Prize, the commanding performances of Angela Merkel and Hillary Rodham Clinton, the end of men-first in the line of succession to the British throne — a new worldwide study concludes that women remain well behind men in two crucial areas: economic equality and political power…

…“A world where women make up less than 20 percent of the global decision-makers is a world that is missing a huge opportunity for growth and ignoring an untapped reservoir of potential,” said Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the Geneva-based World Economic Forum, echoing a view that is gaining ground at least among big multinationals. I.B.M., for example, just added walk to its talk on women, appointing Virginia M. Rometty as its first female chief executive…

…Asked to gauge the impact of the gender studies, Ilene H. Lang, the president and chief executive of Catalyst, a New York-based nonprofit women-centered organization with 500 international members, said, “These reports are important because they shine a light on how half the world’s population fares.”

Catalyst’s own research, she said, showed that women’s progress in business had not increased perceptibly and “we are far from parity in leadership, which is critical especially in this unstable economic environment.” Catalyst’s studies show that “companies with more women in leadership tend to outperform those with fewer — and not by a little.”

Despite some disappointing findings, Ms. Zahidi remains optimistic. “The next wave of change will come from how to actually close gender gaps. We know how to measure them, we know why it’s important to close them, and there’s some new research on policy and on practices in business. That’s going to be the game changer.””

What are your thoughts? What will be the game changer for making bigger strides for creating opportunities for women?

Blog for IDEC 2012 Week: Real Education Is… | IDEA

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 20:45:03 -0400

Blog for IDEC 2012 Week: Real Education Is… | IDEA:

Some great stories to read about the power of education.

adventuresinlearning:

It’s Blog for IDEC 2012 Week, and each day you’re invited to submit a post on one of the defining values of the conference and what it means to you. Leave a link to your URL in the comments section, and we’ll add it to this post. Check back throughout this week as we update this post with new links. Use the Twitter hashtag #blog4idec.

And don’t forget to register for IDEC before the Early Bird Special ends on November 7!

Tuesday, November 1: Real Education is Human:

Esther Ohito: “Teach for Humanity”

Kirsten Olson: “Real Education is Human”

Zahra Lightway: “What does human education mean?”

Melia Dicker: “Real Education is Human”

Justen Eason: “Real Education is Human”

Jennifer Little: “Real Education is Human…and Empowering…and Uplifting”

Scott Nine: “A list of incredible humans who know what real education looks like”

Josu Uztarroz: “Educación Democrática: por encima de todo humana”

Wednesday, November 2: Real Education Is Powerful.

Ammerah Saidi: “Real Education is Powerful”

Melia Dicker: “Real Education is Powerful”

Josu Uztarroz: “Educación Democrática: Poderosa”

Thursdsay, November 3: Real Education Is Relevant.

Josu Uztarroz: “Educación Democrática: Relevante“

Alison Bagg Brink: “Relevant Education”

Adam Burk: “Real Education is Relevant“

Melia Dicker: “Real Education is Relevant”

Friday, November 4: Real Education Is Transformative.

Other posts on IDEC:

Jonah Canner: “A World Tour…My Experience with IDEC”

Elizabeth Baker & Michele Beach: A conversation on human, powerful, relevant, and transformative education (VIDEO)

“If we want to ensure that we leave our children and...

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:40:55 -0400

“If we want to ensure that we leave our children and grandchildren a safe and healthy world, then it is critical for world leaders to support the U.N.’s vital work on voluntary family planning and reproductive health for women across the globe.”

- Ted Turner (founder of UN Foundation) writing for CNN 7 billion reasons to empower women

“A single mother who was harassed and beaten for reporting...

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:26:42 -0400

“A single mother who was harassed and beaten for reporting on the 2009 Iranian uprising, a Mexican journalist whose work means daily defiance of the drug cartels, and a Thai woman facing 20 years in prison for criticizing the monarchy on her website each received a courage award Tuesday from a women’s media group.

The International Women’s Media Foundation also gave its Lifetime Achievement Award to the BBC’s Kate Adie, whose decades on the job have taken her from Afghanistan, to the Tiananmen Square protests to the war in Bosnia. She has slept in graves, been shot in the elbow and still has shrapnel in her foot.

The three courage award winners — Adela Navarro Bello, 43, general director of Zeta newsmagazine in Tijuana, Mexico; Parisa Hafezi, 41, who is the Reuters bureau chief in Tehran, Iran; and Chiranuch Premchaiporn, 44, webmaster and director of Prachatai online newspaper — face dire obstacles in their home countries on a daily basis.”

-from Bloomberg Businessweek