Category: Women

Human Trafficking is On the Rise – And Could be Happening In Your Neighborhood

Human Trafficking is On the Rise – And Could be Happening In Your Neighborhood

Posted by | Aug 9, 2017 |

Human trafficking (read: modern-day slavery) is happening. People are being bought and sold into the commercial sex trade. Others are being forced to provide labor against their will. And it’s happening in America. Worse, it’s on the rise. From 2015 to 2016, reported human trafficking cases rose by over 35 percent, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. The number of victims and survivors jumped from 5,544 to 7,572. Nearly one-fifth of reported cases came from California, while Texas had the second most reported cases. No one should be considered property. No one should be forced, coerced, or fraudulently pressed into work...

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Samsung Rushes to Remove Sexist Bixby Voice Descriptions

Samsung Rushes to Remove Sexist Bixby Voice Descriptions

Posted by | Jul 29, 2017 |

Samsung recently faced criticism for their descriptions of male and female voices for Bixby, its new mobile phone assistant. The female voice was described as “chipper and cheerful,” while the male as “assertive and confident.” Many took to Twitter to air their concerns over the sexist hashtags. On Wednesday, the company heeded the customer feedback and swiftly removed the descriptors. Samsung told Gizmodo it was “working diligently to remove the hashtag descriptions from the Bixby service,” and it is “constantly learning from customer feedback.” Humanizing mobile assistants has shown to help consumers become more comfortable with the robots. Unfortunately, this...

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Britain to Ban Sexist Ads

Britain to Ban Sexist Ads

Posted by | Jul 21, 2017 |

In the wake of a recent study from the Geena Davis Institute on Gender and Media, Britain announced on Tuesday that it will ban sexist commercials that perpetuate stereotypical gender roles for either men or women. The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) completed a comprehensive review on gender stereotyping and questioned whether current regulations are sufficient to provide protection against harmful depictions of gender. The ASA urged greater vigilance to prevent ads that can potentially cause harm. This call to action also applies to portrayals of individuals being mocked when stereotypes are not conformed to. The Committee of Advertising Practice,...

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A Black Woman-Owned Company is Solving Flint’s Water Crisis

A Black Woman-Owned Company is Solving Flint’s Water Crisis

Posted by | Jun 2, 2017 |

Replacing over 18,000 water lines to ensure clean drinking water for Flint’s nearly 100,000 residents is no small task. However, Rhonda Grayer and her company, W.T. Stevens Construction, are taking on the challenge. Grayer inspires women and minorities as she takes on Flint’s 90 million dollar project This project is a big win for Grayer and her company, not just because of the importance and impact of the project, but also because it brings national attention to a family-owned business with a black woman serving as vice president. While women are increasingly becoming business owners – they owned 30 percent of all U.S. businesses in...

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How Menstrual Education Can Keep A Girl In School

How Menstrual Education Can Keep A Girl In School

Posted by | May 26, 2017 |

For many girls in developing countries, getting your period can mean dropping out of school. Offering menstrual education is one way to combat this. WomenStrong International, coinciding with Menstrual Hygiene Day (MH Day) on May 28th, has begun a campaign to bring menstrual education to girls in Ghana, Kenya, Haiti, and India, aiding them in their ability to stay in school and get the education they deserve. WomenStrong has already seen the positive results of adolescent girls offered a reproductive education, including  menstruation, through the GirlsClubs it has established in some impoverished communities. “We call on schools, local governments, multilateral institutions, policymakers,...

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UN Reveals Sexual Violence Increasingly Used As Torture

UN Reveals Sexual Violence Increasingly Used As Torture

Posted by | May 19, 2017 |

At a recent U.N. Security Council meeting, officials stated that sexual violence has been increasingly used as a war tactic and urged that it be addressed as a peace and security issue. This form of torture is used by extremist groups in places like Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Nigeria and Mali to advance their military, economic and ideological ends. According to a recent report, “approximately one in five refugees or displaced women… experienced sexual violence.” Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed brought this pervasive issue forward in a 33-page annual report detailing numerous cases of sexual violence used as terrorist tactics across 19 countries. The Secretary-General told...

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World’s First AI-based Adviser for Female Entrepreneurs

World’s First AI-based Adviser for Female Entrepreneurs

Posted by | May 12, 2017 |

Dell EMC has partnered with Circular Board to create the world’s first AI-based adviser for female entrepreneurs. Alice is on a mission to connect women with the resources needed to scale their startup based on stage, location, industry, revenue, and individual needs. Driven by data analytics, the platform offers a conversational user interface focused on areas such as financing, strategy, marketing, technology, and others. Alice is designed to get smarter the more she is used, using machine learning to predict founders’ needs and offer targeted content independently. In 2016, Circular Board approached Dell with the idea to create a...

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