CEO dads on paternity leave and other top gender stories of the week

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

The future of work looks bright for women. Companies are shifting from top-down hierarchies to collaborative models. (World Economic Forum)

Four myths about the lack of women in top jobs at universities. Don’t blame a lack of ambition. (Guardian)

And how to fix it. Demand female experts and teach gender in the classroom. (World Economic Forum)

What’s the best way to get ahead in a female-dominated profession? Be a man. (Slate)

Taiwan set to elect first female president. It’s a two-woman race to the top in 2016. (Wall Street Journal)

What do the UK, Syria and Sweden have in common? They all have women on their banknotes. (World Economic Forum)

In Iran, it’s the women who teach the men how to surf. (Public Radio International)

The Gazan woman working on sending humans to Mars. Conflict at home made Soha Alqeshawi endlessly determined. (MIT Technology Review)

Teen girls to create Africa’s first private satellite. “I always thought [science] was for nerdy boys.” (All Africa)

India’s missing female scientists. Elite engineering schools have produced plenty of female graduates, so where did they all go? (Quartz)

What it’s like as a ‘girl’ in the lab. Lonely, according to one female scientist. (New York Times)

Tanzania’s female politicians trained to avoid ‘sextortion’. “Some are tempted to offer sex to officials so [they] are considered for nomination.” (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

From petrol pump attendants to bus conductors. Indian women defy gender stereotypes. (Times of India)

In Hindi films, strong women sell tickets. “The dominant female is a formula that works right now.” (New York Times)

Worst place to be a woman? South Asia. (The Economist)

80% of key global gender data is missing. Its absence is a serious impediment to progress. (Quartz)

How CEO dads cope with paternity leave. “It requires so much planning and it’s nerve-wracking.” (Fortune)

Roughhousing with Dad is good for kids. Fathers also score well on a measure called “the laughing test”. (Wall Street Journal)

Statistic of the Week

Women now make up 40% of the formal workforce, yet still do as much as ten times more care-giving and domestic work than men, says the State of the World’s Fathers report.

Quote of the Week

“There is a global epidemic of violence against women – both within conflict zones and within societies at peace – and it is still treated as a lesser crime and lower priority.”
Angelina Jolie, actress and United Nations ambassador for refugees, at the African Union summit in Johannesburg

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

Image: Tony Jiang poses with his three children at his house in Shanghai September 16, 2013. REUTERS/Aly Song