19 must-read 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.

Twitter announces diversity plan – to hire 41 more women. (LA Times)

The ideal founder: young, female engineer, ex-Google. One VC’s review of its best performers challenged prejudice. (Financial Times)

Venture capital fuels the technology industry and shares its gender equality problems. That looks increasingly like a negative for investment returns. (Techrepublic)

IBM’s school could fix education – and tech’s diversity gap. (Wired)

Smartphones help women secure land rights. Mapping is the key. (World Economic Forum)

The dark side of perks for mothers. We are trapped in a culture that prizes total availability. (New York Times)

Women in male-dominated jobs have more stress. Female engineers suffer from isolation and poor support. (Time)

The American workplace bolsters the confidence of men – and destroys women’s ambition. (Quartz)

Unfinished business. The woman who said women couldn’t have it all comes up with fresh solutions. (More)

Paid parental leave is fueling Sweden’s start-up boom. “People dare to try out their ideas thanks to the social welfare system.” (New Republic)

Where are the women in the nuclear disarmament debate? Their voices need to be heard. (World Economic Forum)

Asian women are more financially savvy than US women. Cultural differences affect how they allocate their wealth. (Harvard Business Review)

Studying medicine to find a husband. Pakistan faces calls to limit numbers of female medical students. (BBC)

Preference for male children is spreading. “There is a price to be paid for the devaluation of female life.” (NPR)

Malawi’s first female Muslim MP vows to empowerwomen. “I went to parliament to emancipate women from poverty and backwardness.” (OnIslam)

Tackling the gender gap is key to addressing Africa’s challenges. The right questions need to be asked. (World Economic Forum)

Gender-neutral toy sections are good for boys, too. It encourages them to pursue a wider range of interests. (Al Jazeera)

Should prostitution be a crime? The debate rages on. (New York Times)

A women’s football revolution… in Iran. Some hope the nuclear deal will usher in a new era for women’s sports. (Wall Street Journal)

Statistic of the Week

A $1 million increase in a company’s value generates a $17,150 increase in compensation for male executives, but just $1,670 for female executives, according to a new study.

Quote of the Week

“I’m absolutely confused when people say there’s a pipeline problem or a lack of qualified [female] candidates, because what they really mean is they feel a qualified candidate looks, walks and talks like a man.”
Jonathan Sposato, chief executive of PicMonkey.com

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

Image: Employees of multinational headhunter Korn/Ferry work at the headquarters office of the company in Caracas, Venezuela August 3, 2015. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins