Why men should ‘lean out’ and other top gender stories

Welcome to your weekly digest of stories about how the gender gap plays out around the world – in business, health, education and politics.

What is the best way to manage a female employee? Start by forgetting she’s a woman. (World Economic Forum)

The world’s most influential women. Time’s top 100 is out, and 40 of them are women. (Time)

Who was Michelle Obama before the White House? And what will she do next? (Women in the World)

Men need to ‘lean out’. What if men made career sacrifices too? (PRI)

What’s missing from executive education? Spoiler: it’s not men. (Fortune)

Women own more and more small businesses. But they still face a gaping wage gap. (The Atlantic)

Happy (un)equal pay day. A US store charges women less to make up for lower pay. (Buzzfeed)

Portrait of a working mother in the 1950s. Told through the eyes of her husband. (Time)

Pregnancy a curse for India’s corporate women. Bosses suggest new mothers cannot contribute. (Scroll.in)

‘Empowering’ ad campaigns in India misfire. Airtel makes a female character the boss then sends her home to cook. (World Economic Forum)

Burka Avenger swoops into India. The Emmy-nominated series started in Pakistan. (Reuters)

Bangladesh’s only female big city mayor. She may also be its most effective. (Cityscope)

The female biker who wants to race for Iran. “It’s a way for me to free myself.” (Guardian)

Women break business barriers in Zimbabwe. “Black women never dreamt of reaching this era.” (The Herald)

The invisible (older) woman. In a world of data-driven policies, older women risk missing out. (World Economic Forum)

Girls not “hard-wired” to play chess. Says male chess champion beaten 8-3 by a woman. (Telegraph)

Statistic of the Week

Women made up 3% of the top 1 percent of earners between 1981 and 1985. They represented 16% of that group, between 2008 and 2012.

Quote of the Week

“We have not yet understood in depth what things the feminine genius can give us, that woman can give to society and also to us; perhaps to see things with different eyes that complement the thoughts of men.”
Pope Francis calls for women to be given greater authority.

Author: Saadia Zahidi is a Senior Director, Head of Gender Parity and Human Capital and Constituents at the World Economic Forum.

Image: A Japanese college graduate publicly promises that she will do her best in trying to find work during a job-hunting rally at an outdoor theatre in Tokyo, February 20, 2015. REUTERS/Thomas Peter