Issues of Interest to Women and Girls

Dear Friends,

Every once in a while we find something so compelling, we want to share it with you! Check out these links, and if you have something to share, send it along here and we will make sure it gets posted!

Debbi Steele Chair, Fund for Women and Girls

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About Geena Davis Institute

While watching children's entertainment with her young daughter, Academy Award winner Geena Davis noticed a remarkable imbalance in the ratio of male to female characters. From that small starting point, Davis commissioned the largest research study ever undertaken on gender in children's entertainment. The research showed that in the top-grossing G-rated films, there were three male characters for every one female – a statistic that still has not improved. Founded in 2004, the Geena Davis Institute is uniquely positioned to spotlight gender inequalities at every media and entertainment company through cutting-edge research, education, training, strategic guidance and advocacy programs. Their mission is to work within the entertainment industry to dramatically alter how girls and women are reflected in media. http://thegeenadavisinstitute.org

You can also stay informed by signing up for the Institute's newsletter here. We highly recommend it as the newsletter does a great job of highlighting issues not only relating to gender bias in media, but issues relating to women and girls in general.

About See Jane

See Jane is a program of the Geena Davis Institute that utilizes research, education and advocacy to engage the entertainment industry and recognize the need for gender balance and varied portrayals of females and male characters into movies, TV, and other media aimed at children 11 and under. We work cooperatively and collaboratively with entertainment creators to encourage them to be leaders in creating positive change. http://www.seejane.org/

Number of Women in Small Businesses Climbing

Forty years ago, women owned just five percent of all small businesses. Today, women own 30 percent, which equals a total of 7.8 million companies generating $1.2 trillion a year in sales. Read more here.

A Call to Action: US Business Schools to Identify Board Ready Women

Less than a year after a European initiative to increase the number of women on corporate boards, U.S. business schools will launch a similar effort to identify board-ready women from their alumni and faculty ranks.

The Forté Foundation, a group of 39 business schools working to increase the number of women MBAs, is spearheading the effort. Members include Columbia Business School, MIT’s Sloan School of Management and the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Read more here!

Female Entrepreneurs Find Opportunities During Recession

Female entrepreneurs are finding stunning business success during the recession. From creating new styles of traditional favorites like chicken wings, to innovative auto-care seminars to empower women, female entrepreneurs are helping to remake the face of business. Read more here.

Girls in Science: Gender Gap Still Persists in STEM Subjects

Girls in science and other STEM subjects — technology, engineering, and mathematics — are underrepresented compared to boys despite the progress made in the 50 years since Title IX was signed into law. Read more here!

Space Pioneer Sally Ride Dies at 61

Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space, has succumbed to pancreatic cancer at age 61. Ride became part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's astronaut corps in 1978 and first flew in space on June 18, 1983, aboard the space shuttle Challenger. Ride was part of the teams that investigated the Challenger and Columbia disasters in 1986 and 2003, respectively. She retired from NASA in 1987 and became involved with academic work, and also established Sally Ride Science in 2001 to attract student interest in math and science. For more information on her work with students in science, click here.

40th Anniversary of Title IX: The Next Generation