Google memo and women in the workplace

Women and girls changing their worlds — and ours. No Images? [Click here]( [Across Women's Lives]( Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Fear not, sign-up and receive your own copy weekly in your inbox. [Subscribe]( Letter from the Editor Hi everyone, Earlier this week, the firing of Google engineer James Damore set off heated discussions about gender discrimination in US work places, but Google is far from alone. In just the last month, we’ve seen [TIME Magazine](, [FOX News](,[Uber]( and the [New York Plaza Hotel]( face accusations by women employees of discrimination or sexual assault. It’s become so abundant, late night comedian Samantha Bee [weighed in]( on Wednesday. Read the [Google memo]( – it alleges that women are mentally inferior, more anxious and less motivated by success. It should be ignored, but unfortunately it’s sparked actual debate, and [widespread support.]( But these supposed debates over biology miss at least two critical, broader points about why companies want women: One is that women in the workforce are a [huge driver of economic growth](. In fact, global gender equality would [add $12 trillion]( to global GDP by 2025. (Has your 401k gone up? Thank a woman.) Secondly, the research showing that [diverse teams perform better]( is so abundant, you’d have to be living in the 1970s to ignore it. That’s why 20-something Damore’s narrow mindset about coding abilities is more than outdated and groundless — it’s irrelevant to forward thinking global organizations — and to Google, which is smartly trying to get women into the workplace, not out of it. In other news, have you been catching our AWL series this week on [HIV and teen girls in South Africa](? The stories are beautifully told and inspiring, and they add up to make a compelling case that women’s health is intertwined with a strong economy, national stability and political freedom. You can see them below. Next week I’m off, but women and girls expert Xanthe Scharff from our media partner, The Fuller Project, will be offering you her take on the week’s news. Don’t miss it. Have a great summer weekend. Christina Asquith, Editorial Director of Across Women’s Lives [This week from AWL.]( [Want to learn about sex? In South Africa, just turn on the radio.]( When Marlene Wasserman was a young woman, she wanted to study sex.It’s ironic that she was interested in how people get together in the most intimate of ways because she lives in a country that is obsessed with keeping people apart. “You’ve got to remember that we had censorship,” explains Wasserman. “There was sexuality censorship so there was absolutely no exposure to pornography, to sexuality education, to sex toys.” South Africa was in the grips of apartheid — a brutal system of white minority rule that kept people of color separate from whites. Sex wasn’t just taboo. Sex was dangerous. [Share via Twitter]( [Listen to the story]( [At 16, she found out she was pregnant and HIV positive. That's when she found her strength.]( The nurse at the clinic stood there explaining. Nhlanhla sat in silence. What was there for her to say really? Nhlanhla was 16. Pregnant. And she had just tested positive for HIV. Nhlanhla is part of South Africa’s great mystery. How does a girl this smart, outgoing and ambitious, not protect herself from HIV? Especially because this country has the highest number of infected people in the world — more than 7 million. That’s 19 percent of adults. And, there is sex education. Nhlanhla got it in school. There is birth control. Clinics offer it for free. People know how to prevent this. But young women are getting infected, at a rate twice as high as men. [Share via Twitter]( Global Health Action photo series: African womanhood A new photo series from the Global Health Action UK is focused on portraying women from Amref projects across Kenya as they wish to be seen: as individuals - not victims. Amref Health Africa supports the women in the community with maternal health services and also works with them to tackle the root-causes of malnutrition - a huge problem in the region. You can check out these photos [here](. [Share via Twitter]( [Why violence is linked to the rising rate of HIV in South Africa's young women]( Ziynda Kamte says she looked out the bus window the whole way to Cape Town. She says she never stopped looking back. She was terrified that he would pop into her view, coming to get her and their two kids. “My husband — he changed,” Kamte explains. “He started being abusive, beating me, treating me like nothing. There were days in which he would come home at 4 a.m. And he just wanted us to jam into it, and make love.” Kamte was terrified of getting HIV. South Africa is the country with the highest number of HIV infections in the world. Nearly 20 percent of the adult population is HIV positive. There is a lesser known, silent epidemic here in South Africa. This country also has one of the highest rates of rape in the world. [Share via Twitter]( [Do bride prices drive terrorism?]( Terrorism experts have long known that poverty is a factor in tempting young men to join radical terrorist groups, but what about bride prices? A new article in [MIT Press Journal]( argues that many young, male recruits who are driven to terrorist organizations for financial reasons are actually aspiring to use the money to help themselves and their brothers get married. [Share via Twitter]( This week on Facebook: [Follow on Facebook]( In case you missed it, on Saturday we hosted a Facebook Live event in South Africa which included a discussion with MTV’s Tinashe Venge. We took your questions on topics including contraceptives, the risks of unprotected sex and raising a baby as a teen. Watch the recording [here](. [Like us on Facebook]( Across Our News Feeds 👀 Weekend reads and dinner party fodder NY Times [Female Lawyers Can Talk, Too]( A New York federal court judges offers a birds’ eye view of sexism in the courtroom The Guardian [Unlearning the myth of American innocence]( A forthcoming book by my favorite magazine writer, journalist Suzy Hansen, describes her experiences living abroad Broadly [Cafe Charges Male Customers 18 Percent 'Man Tax']( Cheeky café addresses pay inequality by overcharging men Tonic [Doctors Are Finally Realizing How Guilty They Are of Slut-Shaming]( Poor treatment of women patients is a major problem in the developing world—and in the US too NPR [NPR, ProPublica Investigate Surge in Maternal Mortality and Near Deaths in the U.S.]( Too many editors say maternal health is “not a story” yet 3,000 women have spoken out following this NPR Propublica series NY Times [Resignations in Japan Set Back Hopes for Women in Political Power]( Japanese women are dealing with their own version of the Google memo Across Women’s Lives is PRI’s ambitious multi-platform journalism and engagement initiative about the connection between the empowerment of women and girls, and economic development and improved health around the world. This newsletter highlights our reporting and the work of PRI staff in calling attention to the ways that women are shaping a better future for their communities. [Donate Today]( PRI Public Radio International Hear a Different Voice [Like]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](