Wonder Woman is The New UN Ambassador For Empowerment Of Women And Girls

What an icon for women and girls! Certainly young girls will look at Wonder Woman and say, "I want to be like her," and rightfully so, because Wonder Woman is strong. She is courageous. She is just as tough as the male superheroes. She is a leader. I see this notion as an opportunity for us to teach girls what kind of woman they should admire. In a world full of superficial, fake, and self(ie)-centered celebrity "idols," maybe another valuable approach is to appreciate the realness of make-believe heroes.

- Victoria Mendoza

indiatimes.com - Wonder Woman has been appointed as the new UN ambassador for the empowerment of women and girls. She will be officially titled on October 21, the character's 75th anniversary at the UN Headquarters in New York. The event will also launch the UN's global campaign supporting the fifth goal of Sustainable Development which is "to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls."

"Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world," said a UN spokesperson, adding that, "Providing women and girls with equal access to education, healthcare, decent work, and representation in political and economic decision-making processes will fuel sustainable economies and benefit societies and humanity at large."

Wonder Woman was coined during WWII, which was in itself path-breaking. Firstly. her character broke away from the damsel-in-distress characteristic attached to women in Superhero comics with male leads and saw her saving herself from bondage. And secondly the name itself Wonder Woman - not a girl - she was a woman at par with superhero men. DC is finally handing Wonder Woman her dues in 2017 by releasing their first movie on one of the first female superheroes. And she will also be making an appearance in Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Read more

Women & Girls with Disabilities Need Empowerment, Not Pity, UN Experts Tell States

Disability is a feminist issue, but we often fail to consider disability in feminist policies or gender in disability policies. Everything from the need for representation and dealing with expectations and stereotypes, to encouraging girls and women to love themselves and paving the way for others to tell their stories, is central to both feminist and disability work.

Now, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is helping to promote disability visibility and advocacy with a statement about the rights and needs of women with disabilities--and society's responsibilities toward them.

Click through to read an outline of the statement from the Women's UN Reporting Network, or read the full General Comment; which discusses the main areas of concern for girls and women with disabilities, recommendations for practical steps to better serve everyone in our communities, a call to repeal discriminatory legislation and more. And always remember--we're fighting for the rights and empowerment of all women.

wunrn.com - States too often fail to uphold their obligations with regard to women and girls with disabilities, treating them or allowing them to be treated as helpless objects of pity, subjected to hostility and exclusion, instead of empowering them to enjoy their fundamental human rights and freedoms, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) has said.

“Policies for women have traditionally made disability invisible, and disabilities policies have overlooked gender. But if you are a woman or a girl with disabilities, you face discrimination and barriers because you are female, because you are disabled, and because you are female and disabled,” said Committee member Theresia Degener.

To help to address this, the Committee has issued guidance for the 166 States that have ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on how they can promote the empowerment of women with disabilities to enable them to participate in all spheres of life on an equal basis with others, as set out in the Convention and expressly in Article 6.

The guidance, termed a General Comment, stresses that refraining from discriminatory actions is not enough. States need to empower women by “ raising their self-confidence, guaranteeing their participation, and increasing their power and authority to take decisions in all areas affecting their lives.”

Read more

President Obama at Women's Summit: This Is What a Feminist Looks Like

Feminists can be men too--and one feminist-in-chief is a leading example. During the first-ever United State of Women Summit, President Barack Obama reminded women that he's a feminist. With his record of supporting and discussing issues ranging from health care to wage equality, we certainly think he has a proven record!

time.com - President Obama stood firm in his feminism at the United State of Women Summit on June 14, a daylong convening hosted by the White House to tout the progress and the work that lay ahead for the American woman.

“I may be a little grayer than I was eight years ago, but this is what a feminist looks like,” President Obama said to cheers Tuesday afternoon. About 5,000 women descended upon the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., for the event, which featured speeches by Vice President Joe Biden, House minority leader Nancy Pelosi, White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and First Lady Michelle Obama.

The President said Tuesday he couldn’t be prouder of what his Administration has been able to accomplish for women and girls over the past seven and a half years. In his cheerful speech, he noted the work his administration has done to advance family-leave policies, women’s health care and access to STEM education. Some of the more recent policies addressing family leave and the minimum wage, however, were accomplished via executive action, limiting their scope to federal employees and federal contractors. Outside of government, the White House has often relied on partnerships with private businesses and companies to champion change. On Tuesday, the White House announced 28 companies signed on to their Equal Pay Pledge, agreeing to review their own practices when it comes to pay equity and hiring.

Read more

Want to receive earlybird invitations to our global events, custom-tailored content we think you'll love, and get exclusive access to "The World Women Report"?

Join Us by Subscribing NOW!

Women Investing in Women Joins 1st United State of Women Summit

When women do better, everyone does better. And standing together—standing united—is our best path to helping women thrive. That's the idea behind the first United State of Women Summit, which will bring together some of the most extraordinary women from around the country and world (including a team from Women Investing in Women Digital!) on June 14. Organized by White House Council on Women and Girls, the gathering will revolve around six central pillars of discussion: economic empowerment, health and wellness, educational opportunity, violence against women, entrepreneurship and innovation, and leadership and civic engagement.

In a video announcing the summit, women leaders including First Lady Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Jessica Williams, Tina Fey, Meryl Streep and more discuss women's role in the country and world. The women point out many areas women have advanced in recent years: earning more college

Anu Bhardwaj, Women INVESTING in Women DIGITAL Founder, is joined by Michelle Jaffee and Arya Bhardwaj at the first United State of Women Summit.

degrees than ever, coding in larger numbers, leading businesses, fighting for freedom and, as Winfrey says, "Turning struggle into strength" countless times. Women will continue to fight for pay equality, bodily autonomy, safety, equality in business and everywhere else, and so much more. They always have. The idea of the summit is to come together—and to exhort women and men everywhere to stand together, and stand with us.

"We stand stronger when we stand together," Obama said in the video. The first lady will join Winfrey in a conversation June 14 entitled "Trailblazing the Path for the Next Generation of Women."

We're thrilled to share that the summit will also include our very own founder, Anu Bhardwaj; her daughter, Arya Bhardwaj; and Michelle Jaffee, host of the "Women Investing in Women in Girls" radio show. We're honored to be included, and so proud that these amazing women will be representing Women Investing in Women Digital—and economic empowerment for all women and girls—at the summit.

Because, as Tina Fey says, "We're not done. We're definitely not done."

Join Oprah and Michelle Obama for a Trailblazing Conversation

Women Investing in Women Digital is so excited to be included in the first United State of Women Summit, bringing together some of the most incredible women from around the country and world for a critical discussion on gender equality. Stay tuned for details from our attendees, and read on for more on oprah.com, including details about how to watch the conversation tomorrow. 

oprah.com - There's one thing Oprah and Michelle Obama know for sure: We are stronger when we stand together.

On June 14, Oprah joins the First Lady at the the United State of Women Summit for a conversation entitled "Trailblazing the Path for the Next Generation of Women." They will discuss how far we've come, what challenges we face, and how we can continue to empower young women around the world.

Watch the conversation live on Tuesday, June 14, at 5 p.m. ET via TheUnitedStateOfWomen.org.

Read more

Want to receive early-bird invitations to our global events, custom-tailored content we think you'll love, and get exclusive access to "The World Women Report"?

Join Us by Subscribing NOW!

Sexual Violence Is Not Inevitable — The White House

medium.com - On June 14, the White House will convene people from around the world for the United State of Women, a large-scale effort to both celebrate how far women and girls have come and highlight all that still remains to be done. This post is part of a series leading up to the event that will discuss the challenges that remain ahead of us — and what we can do to overcome them. Visit here for more.

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in news coverage and activism regarding sexual assault, and more importantly, sexual assault prevention. What was once considered an unspeakable and shameful thing to discuss, even behind closed doors, has now become a mass movement across the nation, with campaigns like It’s On Us at the forefront.

It’s On Us aims to fundamentally change the way college campuses think about sexual assault. This past year, I had the privilege of being a part of the campaign’s inaugural Student Advisory Committee — a group of students at various college and high school campuses across the country, all dedicated to ending sexual assault. In this rape culture in which we live, especially prevalent on college campuses, people are so prone to disregard stories of sexual violence as fictitious — but stop and think for a second about what incentive anyone would have to speak out and identify as a survivor. It’s not glamorous to have people pity you and doubt you; to have people trivialize and stigmatize your lived reality. Trust me, I know.

Read more

Want to receive early-bird invitations to our global events, custom-tailored content we think you'll love, and get exclusive access to "The World Women Report"?

Join Us by Subscribing NOW!