Earlier this month we marked World Health Day, and as the world faces a global health threat the spotlight has been on public health and health workers. Through it all we’ve been inspired by women around the world who are taking the lead to save lives and protect communities, by the obstacles overcome and solutions devised by people of all genders, and by those who empower women and citizens of every country as we work to come together like never before. Take care of yourselves and one another during this time, and join us as we look at some amazing women during this difficult time.
What Do Countries With the Best Coronavirus Responses Have in Common? Women Leaders, from Forbes—“Looking for examples of true leadership in a crisis? From Iceland to Taiwan and from Germany to New Zealand, women are stepping up to show the world how to manage a messy patch for our human family. Add in Finland, Iceland and Denmark, and this pandemic is revealing that women have what it takes when the heat rises in our Houses of State. Many will say these are small countries, or islands, or other exceptions. But Germany is large and leading, and the UK is an island with very different outcomes. These leaders are gifting us an attractive alternative way of wielding power.”
COVID-19 Has Been Harder on Women Business Owners. These 11 Resources Can Help, from Fast Company—“With COVID-19 wreaking havoc on the economy, a recent poll from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce showed that 24% of small businesses are just two months away from shuttering permanently, and 11% are less than one month away. And according to American Express, many women-owned businesses work within industries most vulnerable to COVID-19 devastation. 22% of all women-owned businesses are hair salons, nail salons, and pet groomers, and women also own 16% of the hospitality and food service sector.”
She Figured Out How Ford Could Manufacture Coronavirus Face Shields, from Fortune—“There’s a whole host of corporations pitching in to make equipment to combat the coronavirus pandemic. In the latest issue of Fortune, writer Maria Aspan gives us a peek at one of those efforts: Ford’s shift from manufacturing automobiles to producing medical supplies.”
The Secret Weapon in the Fight Against Coronavirus: Women, from The Guardian—“Being a woman doesn’t automatically make you better at handling a global pandemic. Nor does it automatically make you a better leader; suggesting it does reinforces sexist and unhelpful ideas that women are innately more compassionate and cooperative. What is true, however, is that women generally have to be better in order to become leaders; we are held to far higher standards than men. Women are rarely able to fail up in the way men can; you have to be twice as good as a man in order to be taken half as seriously. You have to work twice as hard.”
India’s First Line of Defense Against the Coronavirus Is an Army of 900,000 Women Without Masks or Hand Sanitizer, from Buzzfeed—“The skills and the capacity these women have, the way in which they are familiar with each community’s members — the sick, the elderly, the children — the ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activists) are the most likely to know when someone is displaying symptoms of coronavirus, has been traveling abroad or is missing from the home. Without them, doctors will be operating blind.”
How These Female Entrepreneurs Are Using Technology to Thrive Amidst COVID-19, from Forbes—“Women starting businesses already experience barriers to entry and a lack of funding compared to men, research indicates. Despite these challenges, many female entrepreneurs have developed creative online strategies to propel their businesses forward during these times of uncertainty. Three women entrepreneurs sat down to discuss how their business is thriving despite the COVID-19 crisis.”
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