The FQ Equality News 8.9.19
This week, we’re covering all the leaders who are giving women a louder voice. Read on to find out more.
Breaking barriers in e-sports. According to the Entertainment Software Association, women make up 46% of the more than 166 million adults in the U.S. who play video games. And, the number of female gamers is only on the rise. This week, the dating app and social platform, Bumble, announced that it has partnered up with Gen.G, a global e-sports organization. Gen.G will sponsor Team Bumble, the e-sport organization’s first-ever all-female Fortnite team. The partnership originated, in part, as a result of research that showed women were using Bumble BFF to find fellow female gamers.
Source: CNBC
Are women ‘overboarded’? New research conducted by Bloomberg shows that women director candidates individually serve on a greater number of boards than men. The study says, “Lone female directors served on an average of 1.4 boards, the busiest of all classes of directors.” According to Meggin Thwing Eastman, Research Editorial Director at MSCI, the term “overboarded” is misleading. There are plenty of female board candidates that remain. Of 16,000 women in the MSCI database of sitting directors, two-thirds are on one board. Only 13% are more than two. “There is this kind of myth out there that it must be the same women on all these boards because there aren’t enough women to become directors, which just isn’t true,” says Eastman.
Source: Bloomberg
Stand-up for equality, comedians. At the current rate, the World Economic Forum projects that gender equality in the United States is still another 208 years away. The good news? We can each do our part to shorten this timeline. To help lead the way, Melinda Gates is rolling out a campaign called “Equality Can’t Wait.” The campaign, which launched this week, includes a five-minute video of world-famous comedians. This isn’t the type of stand up we’re used to seeing. But, let’s try taking a moment to laugh, even if it’s to keep from crying.
Source: “Equality Can’t Wait.”
The impact of inclusive language. Eliminating gendered pronouns and words from any language has the potential to make a huge difference when it comes to busting harmful stereotypes. In a study that came out this week, researchers revealed the impact of gender-neutral language on opinions towards gender and LGBT equality. Their findings confirm that gender-inclusive language doesn’t just reduce bias— it can actually “contribute to the promotion of gender and LGBT equality and tolerance.”
Source: The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Literary icon Toni Morrison passes away at 88. Speaking of compelling language and intersectionality, Toni Morrison, the award-winning novelist, died on Monday at the age of 88. In 1993, Morrison became the first black woman to win the Nobel Prize in literature. A firm believer in the power of literature for social good, her work serves as a testament to the richness of black experiences.
During a conversation with The New Yorker in 2015, Morrison shared her observations of the present versus the past, stating:
You know, I always say, remember, when I was a girl, a young girl, we were called citizens. “American citizens.” “American citizens” this, “American citizens” that. We were second-class citizens, but that was the word. And then, after World War Two, in the fifties and sixties, they started calling us “consumers.” “The American consumer needs . . .” And so we did. Consume. Now they don’t use those words anymore. Listen. “The American taxpayer.”
And those are different attitudes. If you’re a citizen, you think your block or your neighbors or your town or something is part of you. If you’re a consumer, you just go to the store, and shop, and, you know, layaway, and un-layaway, and so. But if you are only a taxpayer, you are worried about who’s got some money that you pay.
Source: The Atlantic
The FQ Buzz. Did you know that Black Women’s Equal Pay Day and Women’s Equality Day are coming up right around the corner on August 26th? Be sure to tune into this unplugged conversation with The Female Quotient’s CEO Shelley Zalis for more on why we’re better together.
***
Thanks for reading! For more equality news, check out:
How to Level the Playing Field for Women in Sports