2021: A Mixed Bag for Women
The year 2021 was a mixed bag for women, with momentous gains notched alongside disheartening losses. On the plus side, we saw the first woman – who is also the first woman of color – sworn…
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Only woman in the room
Sitting at a long boardroom table at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, Rhode Island, flanked by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed, Dr. Kathleen Hicks—the first female deputy secretary of the Department of Defense and the highest-ranking woman…
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Thanks to Our Mentors
The poet Maya Angelou mentored Oprah. At her Chicago law firm, Michelle Robinson mentored the young Barack Obama, who later married her. In Hollywood, Audrey Hepburn mentored Elizabeth Taylor. I don’t remember ever hearing the word…
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Women Need to Show Up at the Polls
Presidential elections held every four years are exciting. The campaigns are undoubtedly too long and too expensive, but they provide feverish debates and clever ads to watch, patriotic yard signs to view, political arguments to craft,…
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Taking a Look at Women’s Parity
Women are 51 percent of the population, yet we are still less than one-quarter of our country’s leaders. Ms. Magazine has done a compilation of…
The Economic Impact of “Lookism”: The Hidden Tax You Pay
Women being judged for their appearance is nothing new. It’s something we think about every morning when we get ready. Will this skirt lead to street harassment? Will this eyeshadow make…
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What Does a Leader Look Like?
Organizational psychologists will point to well-known workshop exercises where executives are asked to draw a picture of an effective leader. In terms of gender, the results are nearly always the same. Both men and women almost always…
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And the Numbers Are…
After a four-month delay caused by the pandemic, the U.S. Census Bureau last week released detailed 2020 population data for all 50 states and certain U.S. territories. These numbers are crucially important. They will be used…
Many Voices, Same Story
On the anniversary of George Floyd’s death, our first Conversation about Race and Gender event felt somber. As this gathering of women began, we were reminded of the threats that many experience each day. Led by…
If Not You, Then Who?
When I launched my campaign, I told people my reason was simple: I love my city, and I want it to be the best it can be. When I looked around and saw where our city had been,…