Women's News Wrap

Your weekly summary of things women did, issues women faced, and current events that uniquely impact women.

Happy Monday! Here’s what’s on the rise this week:

World

• According to a new U.N. report, the Taliban are cracking down on restrictions to women’s liberties in Afghanistan, including access to travel, work and health care. 

• Thousands of Kenyans protested the recent killings of over a dozen women, marking the largest anti-femicide demonstration in the country.

• In war-torn Ukraine, 70,000 women are selling Mary Kay makeup, even from bomb shelters, to support their families amid the ongoing conflict with Russia.

Business

• Women are increasingly taking charge of family-owned wineries in Tuscany's Chianti Classico region, reshaping and elevating their businesses despite the wine industry’s historical gender biases.

• NPR appointed Katherine Maher as CEO, and several women assumed new senior management roles at JPMorgan, potentially positioning one of them to succeed long-time leader Jamie Dimon.

• A decade after coining the term "unicorn" for startups with valuations over $1 billion, Aileen Lee reflected on lingering gender diversity issues among top startups. Although there's been progress (14% of unicorns now have a female co-founder, versus 5% in 2013), there are still more founders named Michael, David and Andrew than there are women unicorn CEOs. 

• Clothing company Kyte Baby faced public backlash after denying work flexibility to an employee with an adopted newborn in neonatal intensive care, exposing the absence of a national paid parental leave policy in the United States.

Quote of the Week:
“I never really felt special, but now I’m starting to get a tiny bit proud of myself.”
- Betty Brussel, the 99 year-old competitive swimmer who just broke three world records in her age group.

Politics

• A jury ruled that Donald Trump must pay $83.3 million in damages to E. Jean Carroll for defaming her after she accused him of rape in 2019. Carroll has vowed to use the money for “something good.” 

• Nikki Haley promised to stay in the presidential race despite this week’s loss in New Hampshire. Her campaign has shied away from mentioning gender, reflecting the GOP's historical struggle to promote women candidates without embracing identity politics.

• There is a widening political divide between Gen Z men and women. While young women are becoming more liberal, thanks in large part to activism and solidarity sparked by the #MeToo movement, many Gen Z men feel recent societal shifts have worked against them.

Abortion

• President Biden and Vice President Harris held an abortion rights rally in Virginia, where they condemned Donald Trump for his role in the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade.

• Following a traumatic experience with a life-threatening pregnancy in Tennessee, a state where abortion is banned, 28-year-old Allie Phillips is running for state legislature with the goal of advocating for abortion rights.

• A new study reports 64,565 pregnancies resulting from rape in 14 U.S. states with near-total abortion bans since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022.

Sports

• Stanford women's coach Tara VanDerveer set an all-time record for the most coaching wins in college basketball history, surpassing both men's and women's records.

• World Wrestling Entertainment co-founder Vince McMahon resigned from the board of W.W.E.’s parent company following sexual assault and sex trafficking allegations made by a former employee.

• Former Spanish soccer president Luis Rubiales will stand trial for the non-consensual kissing of player Jenni Hermoso at last year’s Women’s World Cup final.