The birth rate among U.S. teens aged 15 to 19 rose 3 percent in 2006, reversing a 14-year decline in teen pregnancy rates, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Are we surprised? Federal policy in the last few years has emphasized abstinence programs, which currently receive about $176 million in annual funding. Wonder what would happen if birth control education were funded at that level instead.

Laws taking effect this year in California include:

• Information on cord blood donation be provided to pregnant women (SB 962) and an umbilical cord blood collection program is to be established. (AB34)
• Nursing homes must notify residents of closure plans 60 days in advance and make relocation plans for every resident. (AB343)
• Expansion of the list of sex offenses for which victims may request their names be withheld to include using fraud to involve a person in prostitution, sale of a person for immoral purposes, incest and aggravated sexual assault of a child. (SB449)
• Increase from 45-60 days the period for the Dept. of Corrections and Rehab. To notify certain crime victims when it is scheduled to release a sex offender. Increases to 60 days the time the Dept. of Mental Health has to provide notification of a petition for conditional release scheduled for a court hearing. (AB 1172)

Paid Advertisement

Women make up roughly half the population, so we wonder what took these companies so long to wake up and smell Chanel No. 5.

Pink Ladies car service was launched in London to give women an alternative to unlicensed mini-cabs. Their female drivers are trained in self-defense and pilot hot-pink vehicles equipped with satellite tracking. Think Charlie's Angels meets Knight Rider.

Clutch is a car dealership for women in Vancouver , Canada .  The showroom looks like an upscale boutique; customers are offered day-long test drives; and there are no dumb questions. 

Women who prefer not to have a strange man in the house (with or without plumber's crack) now hire qualified tradeswomen for home repairs, remodeling and new construction, through services such as Arizona 's Women 2 The Rescue.  

Thanks to Seena Sharp for these great examples of marketing to women. Seena puts out SharpInsights - byte-size bits of food for thought for marketing executives.

Want more? Visit the archives at http://www.sharpmarket.com and learn about competitive intelligence and early warning signals.

On a Saturday Evening in this past November, Debra and I were treated to a play ourselves by CREATE member, Pauline Field and her co-chair, Ellen Snortland , as Fifty-Fifty Leadership presented a staged reading of Ellen's one woman show Now That She's Gone at the Ms. Magazine/ Feminist Majority in Beverly Hills. The evening was filled with laughs and thoughtful introspection as Ellen regaled us of tales of growing up with her emotionally unavailable mother who had that "don'tcha know" accent. The play was definitely a testament to Ellen's strength and provided great insight into Fifty-Fifty's dedication to promoting social betterment for women everywhere.

Co-Chair of Fifty-Fifty and our CREATE member, Pauline Field, was born in London , England and went to school there through her first year of college.  She then went to New York where she continued her schooling at Hunter College , earned a BS at Cal State Northridge, and did Master's work at Cornell.  She moved around for a while and finally landed in the Los Angeles area in 1980 and has lived here since.  She lives with her husband, Barry, has a son, Adrian, and a granddaughter, Tatiana, who live in Eugene , Oregon . Below she answers some questions about Fifty-Fifty:

Alex Rogals: Please tell CREATE about Fifty-Fifty (goals, etc).  When it got started, how, etc.

Pauline Field: Fifty/Fifty Leadership got started because as I was doing research for a proposal to establish a Women's Commission in the City of Glendale , I was appalled at the small numbers of women in top decision-making positions in any area of endeavor: art, media, professions, academia, corporate, government, politics, religious institutions, etc.  We are, after all, 50% of the population, so it seems logical that we should be approximately 50% of the decision makers.  Instead we are tokens - a few women at the top, nowhere close to half.  I wanted to do something about it and as Ellen was committed to this also, we took over an existing 501c3 and off we went.

Our vision is that 50% of leaders are women. Our mission is to transform the culture within which we live to one that naturally includes women on an equal basis in the selection of leaders

AR: Aside from the event Debra and I attended, what other events does Fifty-Fifty promote?  What are some future events?

PF: We mostly focus on our programs, which at the moment are Leadership Circles - leadership development program and Beauty Bites Beast- a documentary in the making on the need for girls and women to learn to defend ourselves. However we have had a number of fun fundraising and educational events and in 2008 look for the following:

• International Women's History Month Celebration
• Focus on Women's Health
• Artists Market
• Women's Equality Day Celebration
• Science & Technology:  Careers for Women

AR: Ellen Snortland, aside from being a talented playwright, is also Fifty-Fifty's Co-Chair.  What does this entail?

Ellen and I are the prime movers of the organization.  We are a young organization - just started in 2005 - and still building an infrastructure.  So, although we are thankful to have more and more volunteers, Ellen and I are responsible for the whole organization and its success.

AR: When we came to visit you gave us a copy of Ms. Magazine- What is Fifty-Fifty's affiliation with Ms.?

PF: Ellen is a contributor (writer) to Ms Magazine.  We support the work of Ms Magazine and the Feminist Majority Foundation.

AR: I saw on your website Ellen has met with Hillary Rodham Clinton!  Can you talk a little about what Fifty-Fifty thinks is great about Hillary- maybe how Fifty-Fifty believes she might positively promote social betterment in the US?

PF: As a 501C3, we are prohibited from endorsing any candidate.  As a leader, however, we see that should Hillary be elected, it will empower a whole generation of girls who will know that yes, it is possible for a girl to grow up and be President of their country.

AR: Lastly, can you tell CREATE who some of your role models were/are and why?

Eleanor Roosevelt - Because every person was equal to her and because she acted according to her heart, no matter the difficulties or circumstances amassed in front of her.

My mother, Stella Shenker - For her unwavering ability to rise above her circumstances and see the glass half full.

Maria Nunez - She saw the good in people and was the most generous person I have known.  She would give someone in need whatever she had, leaving almost nothing for herself as she knew she needed little and would always be provided for.

SCHOLARSHIP AVAILABLE
Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology
Thanks to Leigh Adams, Artist in Residence at the Los Angeles Arboretum for letting us know about this.

Dr. Anita Borg (1949-2003) devoted her adult life to revolutionizing the way we think about technology and dismantling barriers that keep women and minorities from entering computing and technology fields. Her combination of technical expertise and fearless vision continues to inspire and motivate countless women to become active participants and leaders in creating technology.

In honor of Dr. Borg's passion, for the past four years, Google has sponsored a scholarship program with the Anita Borg Institute for Women in the U.S. , and more recently, in Europe and Australia . http://www.anitaborg.org/ http://www.google.com/anitaborg/

This year, we're excited to announce the expansion of the program to include Canada , where we're very pleased to offer an opportunity to both undergraduate students and postgraduates, who may apply for CAD$5,000 scholarships. We're looking for women who will carry on the legacy of Dr. Borg, with strong academic backgrounds and demonstrated leadership qualities.

All scholarship recipients and finalists will be invited to visit the Google engineering office in New York City next April for a networking retreat featuring workshops with a series of speakers, panelists, breakout sessions and social activities.

Deadlines:
Tell your friends, or apply yourself, at www.google.ca/anitaborg . The deadline for the Canada program is Monday, February 4, 2008.

The deadline for the US program is Friday, February 1, 2008.

AARP Women's Scholarship Program

AARP has created this program specifically for women 40 and older who have hit a wall when it comes to their work and financial lives. We're looking for women who would be able to get a better-paying job, re-enter the workforce, or improve their lives with more education or training.

Whether you have not worked outside the home, dropped out of the workforce to raise families or care for loved ones; if your work is in a low-paying job with few benefits and you need a helping hand, then AARP wants to lend you a helping hand.

Simply log on to www.aarp.org/givewlc to learn more about the program and how to apply.

WISH LIST
As we continue to grow, sometimes our needs are bigger than our budget, and I know that you want to know how you can help. So each month I will let you know our current needs. Here's our Wish List for this month:

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Want to move up? Want to help get more women in leadership? Then come play with Fifty-Fifty Leadership!

Once - In - A - While - Volunteering
We offer the opportunity to be part of an exciting event

Have - A - Skill - And - Want - To - Share - It - Volunteering
Perhaps you are a writer, a graphic designer, you love to put on parties, you love making phone calls or doing research, you know lots of people and love to network people together. Whatever you love to do, we would love to talk to you about how you can help at Fifty-Fifty Leadership

Love - To - Share - Your - Skills - Volunteering
Be a mentor! Your success can be a great inspiration to someone trying to reach their own goals. Leadership Circles needs you!

It's - Who - You - Know - Volunteering
So you know people. Helping us with access to celebrities; access to major donors; access to corporate foundation directors

Email us at volunteer@fiftyfifty.us — Call us at 818.243.2322

FINAL WORDS