Calculators, crushing rocks and other 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. Subscribe here to receive this by email.

The global gender gap calculator. How old will you be when the gender gap closes? (World Economic Forum)

Five priorities for African women. “Why is it that women’s decision-making power is not reflected in public? Why is the African woman always relegated to the background?” (Zimbabwe Daily)

Building an inclusive start-up sector… in Gaza. Out of crisis comes opportunity. (World Economic Forum)

Why are there so many female managers, but so few female CEOs? “Glass walls” keep women in specific roles. (World Economic Forum)

Vodafone is making life easier for new mothers. By paying full-time wages for a shorter week, it hopes to retain more women. (Wall Street Journal)

Tackling bias without making people defensive is easy. It starts with branding. (Harvard Business Review)

Can government policy really shift corporate culture? Germany thinks so. (Globe and Mail)

The case for female geeks. Nigeria’s technology sector will grow faster if it welcomes women into the fold. (This Day Live)

Liberian women crushing rocks. “It was not my plan to do this work, but now I’m a mother, I have to do it.” (allAfrica)

Why I am not India’s daughter. “Yes, I’m an Indian woman. But I’m not defined completely by any one of the million pieces of my identity.” (The Atlantic)

The sexism of start-up land. Is the road to success more difficult for female entrepreneurs? (The Atlantic)

The best Mother’s Day gift? How about an end to adverts endlessly depicting mothers as cooks, cleaners and nurses. (Guardian)

Statistic of the Week

Women hold 50% of middle management positions, but less than 5% of CEOs of publicly listed companies in OECD countries are women, according to the International Labour Organization.

Quote of the Week

“Women are not from Venus and men are not from Mars. Our intelligence is not governed by our biology.”

Tara Clarke, Imperial College London.

Author: Ceri Parker is an Associate Director at the World Economic Forum, and edits the Agenda blog platform.

Image: A woman uses the late afternoon sun to read while sitting on the High Line park in New York, June 12, 2013. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson