EVENTS
Friday, September 9, 6:30 - "Now That She's Gone" - A one-woman show written by and starring Ellen Snortland.
Haven't seen it yet? Only seen it once? Then treat yourself to an uplifting evening of laughter, poignant moments and an all-around good time. Recently seen at a performance of the show in New York was Gloria Steinem! So you're in good company!
"Now That She's Gone" explores Snortland's wacky and sometimes torturous relationship with her Norwegian-American mother, now deceased. Not even remotely a mother bashing piece, "Now That She's Gone" has been described as a Lily Tomlin/Garrison Keillor/Eve Ensler hybrid, passionate, poignant and funny in turns. Ellen Snortland is the author of "Beauty Bites Beast: Awakening the Warrior Within Women and Girls," is a weekly columnist with the Pasadena Weekly and is a contributor to Ms. Magazine.
This show is part of the UNA Membership Drive and the $25 to see the show gives you your first year's membership in the United Nations Association for FREE. ($10 for students)
Café Culture, 1359 N. Altadena Dr., Pasadena, CA 91107, call the UNA: 626-449-1795 or e-mail Sherry@unapasadena.org. to ensure a place but you can probably get a ticket at the door.
Monday, September 12, 6:30 p.m. -Glendale Commission on the Status of Women regular meeting. Council Chambers, 2nd floor, 613 E. Broadway, Glendale or you can watch it on GTV6
Saturday, September 24, 9:00 - 2:00 p.m. - Third Annual Gathering of A Coracle Foundation. I recently met the founder, Roma Johnson and was thrilled to hear about the wonderful opportunity this Foundation offers - travel costs for people like you and me who have a compelling need to make some journey, perhaps a pilgrimage or a retreat. Do visit their website and read more about this wonderful group.
Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church, 310 N. Orange Grove Boulevard, Pasadena
The mission of A Coracle Foundation is to grant travel funds to individuals for Spiritual Pilgrimage, Personal Quest or Imbued Research. For more information call RoMa at 213-228-1257 and visit their website at www.acoracle.org
Monday, September 26, 6:30 - 8:30 - Fifty/Fifty Leadership Board Meeting
Many people have expressed an interest in Fifty/Fifty Leadership and the work we are doing and want to know how they can help. If you too would like to come hear about our programs, what we are looking to do in the future and how you might add your expertise, skills or interests, let me know so I can include you on the invitation to this meeting. For more information on Fifty/Fifty Leadership, visit our website at www.Fifty/Fifty.us
Wednesday, September 28, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. - Women's Words of Wisdom Salon - Proposition 73: Parental Notification Initiative
Join us, the Glendale Commission on the Status of Women, for an educational forum with a panel of legal, medical and community representatives addressing the effects of this initiative on women and girls. The panel will include representatives from American Association of University Women (AAUW), California Women's Law Center and Planned Parenthood.
Glendale Police Department Community Room, 131 N. Isabel, Glendale (Isabel & Broadway). Event is free and light refreshments will be served. For more information call Lana Lott at 818.548.4844
Friday, October 7th, 8:00 - 11:00 a.m. - Assemblywoman Carol Liu's Annual Cancer Awareness Breakfast.
You are invited to attend this event, free of charge, as a guest of Fifty/Fifty Leadership. You will be served a delicious breakfast, hear great speakers including Dr. Juanita Watts and a Cancer Survivor, and be able to browse the exhibits. All I need is for you to RSVP by Monday, September 6th to reserve your place at the table. Email me at paulinefield@charter.net or call me at 818.243.2322. The breakfast will be at the Pasadena Hilton.
Monday, October 17 - YWCA of Pasadena Racial Justice Breakfast
Pasadena Convention Center. Tickets $35 before September 30 For more information click www.ywca.org/breakfast
Saturday, October 22, 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. - Celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations
Music, entertainment, food, beverages as well as a great program. Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu will be paying tribute; Morgan Freeman, Jason Alexander, Pasadena Mayor Bogaard will be present, and world-renown sitar player Nishat Kahn will provide a special guest performance. This will be an evening not to be missed! Come join the excitement. Call the UNA office at 626-449-1795 or email Sherry@unapasadena.org for an invitation to this spectacular event.
Thursday, October 27th, 9:00 - 5:00 p.m. - Governor's Conference on Women and Families
This is always an outstanding day and it sells out fast. So register today http://www.californiagovernorsconference.org/
Saturday, October 29, 12:00 - 5:00 p.m. - Gathering of Sisters: A Women's Fair
The Glendale Commission on the Status of Women will be holding its first annual Fair featuring health care exhibits, an exhibit of art by Glendale women artists; short movies made by women and girls, and lots of exhibits by a variety of non-profits and vendors.
Hurricane Disaster Relief Fund
Fifty/Fifty Leadership, a non-profit of which I am the Chair, has created a Fund to gather donations for survivors of the devastation in Louisiana and Mississippi. We will be providing aid to women and children who need help rebuilding their lives after losing everything. If you can help, send your check, made our to Fifty/Fifty Leadership and marked "Flood Fund" in the memo line, to 1315 Ruberta Avenue, Glendale, CA 91201. Fifty/Fifty Leadership is a non-profit 501(c) 3 so your donations are tax deductible. If you would like to pay with a credit card, please call me at 818.243.2322.
Ranking of women around the world
The World Economic Forum ranked 58 nations according to their "gender gaps" - based on job opportunities, pay, political representation, health care and education for females. Sweden, Norway and Iceland topped the list. The U.S. came in 17th. China and India care 33rd and 53rd respectively. The women of Egypt are the worst off. To see the whole report, click on the link below:
http://www.weforum.org
Is Sweden Really the Best?
Excerpts from an article by Jerome Socolovsky, WeNews correspondent, 08/19/05
Sweden was recently ranked the most gender-equal country in the world. But feminists there say there's been a backlash.
After the women's liberation movement took off in the 1970s, the Swedish government passed laws mandating equality in every aspect of public life and even some aspects of private live. The government prohibited violence against women, required salary parity for men and women in similar jobs and gave men and women the right to equal parental leave. In the 1990s, Sweden's government became the first in the world where half the ministers were women.
Earlier this year, Sweden was ranked the most gender-equal country by the World Economic Forum.
But being first in the rankings is not enough, say feminists. Women still earn on average only 71 percent of what men earn, and some studies--though these are disputed in feminist circles--suggest that domestic violence is a larger problem than widely believed.
"There has been a strong women's movement here that has achieved a lot," said Lotten Sunna, Stockholm-based spokesperson for Feminist Initiative, a new empowerment movement that is focused on putting feminism even higher on the political agenda. "But that has also led to a false belief that we have reached equality, that we are there, and as a result of that things are starting to back up again."
That's the case, she says, even though Prime Minister Goran Persson has labeled himself a feminist, 45 percent of Swedish parliament members are women and most national political parties have made feminism part of their political platforms.
In its gender-gap ranking, the World Economic Forum praised Sweden's liberal society and welfare provisions. It said that because of them, Swedish women "have access to a wider spectrum of educational, political and work opportunities and enjoy a higher standard of living than women in other parts of the world."
Nevertheless, Feminist Initiative's platform describes Sweden as a country that is dominated by a "patriarchical power structure." It says women are discriminated against, subjected to violence, exploited in the labor market, under-prioritized in health care and receive a smaller proportion of welfare benefits.
In a recent survey directed by Eva Lundgren, a sociologist at Uppsala University in Sweden, 46 percent of women say they've been victims of some form of gender violence in their lifetimes. Lundgren's methodology has been criticized, however, for having too broad a definition of gender violence. Government data puts the number at around 12 percent.
Still, Sweden's leaders have long made efforts to achieve equality, at least on paper. Back in 1974, the government officially renamed "maternity leave" as "parental leave," and gave both parents the "right" to share in a government benefit that now guarantees 13 months of paid leave. Since 1975, abortion has been legal, and quotas striving for equal representation in local and national government and public institutions have been around since the 1980s.
Men now take on average 17 percent of the government-guaranteed parental leave, according to the national statistics bureau. Nowadays, it's not at all unusual to see men pushing baby strollers along the sidewalks and playing with their children in the playground during working hours.
Stephan Mendel-Enk is author of a book on masculinity, "With an Obvious Sense of Style." He says Swedish men take parental leave because the government has made it economically feasible. Societal prejudices remain, he says.
...And in Mexico
Women's ENews reports that overall, the Mexican companies represented on the Latin Trade list had 4.3 percent of board seats, or 20 female directors in 37 companies among 460 board seats.
The number of female business executives in Mexico nevertheless is growing, says Gina Zabludovsky, a researcher at the Autonomous National University of Mexico. In the nation's top 500 companies, the number of firms with at least one woman on the board of directors increased from 24.2 percent in 1994 to 49.6 percent in 1998 and 52 percent in 2001.
Click here to read more: http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm?aid=2429
...And The Philippines
Thanks to Zen Lopez, Arts & Culture Commissioner and Special Events Planner for forwarding this article:
Editors Tackle Taboos With Girlish Glee
Excerpted from an article by Raymond Bonner, The Manila Journal, July 25, 2005
"I'm sorry, but I just can't control those girls." That is how one of this country's tycoons is said to deflect complaints about articles in Newsbreak, a magazine he founded.
"Those girls" are the women who edit and manage the magazine, which, with its spunk and spice, has more than demonstrated its independence from the privileged and powerful. Newsbreak has brought down a senator, set off an investigation into corruption in the military, and - most daring of all - exposed the fault lines inside this country's most influential institution: the Roman Catholic Church.
"Those girls" are the editor, Marites Danguilan Vitug, a 50-year-old with an infectious laugh that punctuates every conversation, and the managing editor, Glenda M. Gloria, just turned 40, a former senior editor at one of the country's major daily newspapers. Ten of Newsbreak's 14 senior editors and writers are women.
The two women, both of whom studied at the London School of Economics, had just finished a book, "Under the Crescent Moon: Rebellion in Mindanao," about the rise of the Islamic movement, including the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, on the southern island of Mindanao.
Leadership Circles
Looking for a place to hone your leadership skills? Learn some new ones? A Leadership Circle will be starting shortly in Glendale so come join us as we add the other half of the conversation of what makes a leader. Much has been written from the men's point of view, and its time to add our half of the conversation of what makes a leader. To find out more about Leadership Circles, email info@Fifty/Fifty.us.
Nominations:
YWCA's Women of Excellence Awards
Please take a moment and think about the wonderful women you know who work or live in the Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley area. Awards are given in the categories of Arts, Business, Communications, Community Service, Education, Law, and Medicine. The special Mary Huggins Gamble Award is given to a high school junior or senior girl who has demonstrated volunteerism, leadership, and academic achievement.
Visit www.ywca-pasadena.org to download the Nomination Forms in PDF, or call (626) 296-8433 to have a form faxed to you.
Nominations must be received by September 30, 2005.
List of Top Women Spotlights Power Shortage
Forbes Magazine recently published its list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women. The women were chosen according to three elements: their resume, the size of the economic sphere over which a leader held sway, and how often they appeared on the media radar.
But the odd thing about a list like this, which assesses power the old fashioned way--by economic clout and media attention--is that it mainly serves to show how few women are actually at the pinnacles of power.
Just cast your eye over the top 10:
Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State Wu Yi, vice premier and minister of health, China
Yulia Tymoshenko, prime minister, Ukraine Gloria Arroyo, president, the Philippines
Margaret Whitman, CEO, eBay Anne Mulcahy, CEO, Xerox
Sallie Krawcheck, CFO, Citigroup Brenda Barnes, CEO, Sara Lee
Oprah Winfrey, chair, Harpo Melinda Gates, co-founder, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
How many of these women ring loud bells of recognition? Wu Yi? Brenda Barnes? It's not that they're not important people--they certainly are--it's just that the media have not made them household names.
Television, particularly Sunday morning talk shows where influential newsmakers appear, tends to bypass women, even those of the stature on the Forbes' list. And a female newsmaker on the cover of Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News and World Report is still a rarity.
There are women such as Helen Clark, prime minister of New Zealand (No. 24), Mary Sammons, CEO of Rite-Aid (No.27), on whose pharmacies I depend, Ann Moore, chair and CEO, Time, Inc., (No. 38) and Nancy Barry, president of Women's World Banking (No. 98).
Surely there are more articles to be written, stories to be broadcast, movies and TV specials to be made on all these women, who also include Nobel Peace laureates Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar (No. 15) and Wangari Maathai of Kenya (No. 68).
A number of women on the list have lived and worked outside of the celebrity limelight yet still wield enormous clout. These include Zoe Cruz, acting president of Morgan Stanley (No. 16); Ann Livermore, executive vice president of the technology solutions group, Hewlett-Packard (No. 20); and Safra Catz, president of Oracle (No. 22).
Many women are movers and shakers in the media world, such as: NBC's Katie Couric (No. 47) and ABC's Diane Sawyer (No. 55), there is a full dozen more: Marjorie Scardino, CEO, Pearson (No. 18); Anne Sweeney, president, Disney-ABC Television Group (No. 33); Judy McGrath, CEO, MTV Networks (No. 49); Amy Pascal, vice chair, Motion Picture Group, Sony Entertainment (No. 50); Stacey Snider, chair, Universal Pictures, (No. 59); Gail Berman, president, Paramount Pictures (No. 69); Christiane Amanpour, chief international correspondent, CNN (No. 72); Karen Elliott House, publisher, The Wall Street Journal, (No. 73); Janet Robinson, CEO, The New York Times Co (No. 77); Christie Hefner, CEO, Playboy Enterprises (No. 90); Cathleen Black, president, Hearst Magazines, (No. 91); and Martha Nelson, managing editor, People (No. 92).
Perhaps we should be asking them what they are doing to help make the powerful women more visible.
Forbes magazine not being a bastion of feminism, also includes on the list women who are partners of powerful men, such as Laura Bush (No. 46), Cherie Booth Blair (No. 62) and Queen Rania of Jordan (No. 80).
Take Action - Help Renew the Violence Against Women Act
When you go home at night, do you feel safe? If you do, count yourself lucky; for many women, their home is not a place of safety, but a place of fear and violence. More than 700 women each day are abused or sexually assaulted by their partners - and four are murdered.
At Care2, they are working with Amnesty International USA to stop this violence; they need your signature. Sign this petition to help renew the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), currently under consideration by Congress: http://go.care2.com/30481
VAWA works: after its passage in 1994, rates of domestic violence incidents dropped by almost 50% and incidents of rape are down by 60%.
Ten years ago, the U.S. created VAWA to provide desperately needed shelter, counseling, medical, and justice services for the 700 women and children who are affected by domestic violence every single day in this country. Now, it is up for reauthorization by Congress and there is a good chance it could be cut. If it is, funding for domestic violence shelters is at risk. Children who witness domestic violence are at even greater risk. And, we may slow the progress that we've made in preventing violence against women.
Help us continue to decrease domestic violence and rape by signing this petition today:
http://go.care2.com/30481 Care2 and ThePetitionSite.com
A good link for more information:
http://www.ncadv.org/publicpolicy/ViolenceAgainstWomenAct2005_165.html
Victims of a cruel fate in India
Excerpts of an article by NITA BHALLA, Thursday August 18, 2005 in Women's Enews
Millions of Indian women remain terrorized by their families in their own homes, activists say.
One in three women face some form of domestic violence, yet most remain silent, according to women's groups.
But the Indian government says a new law on violence against women in the home could stem the fear and suffering in many households across the country.
The most common case is dowry-related violence, where women are abused and beaten and even killed by their in-laws for not bestowing enough gifts or money to their husbands' families at the time of marriage. Many die in infamous "stove burnings" in which in-laws set them ablaze and then say it was a kitchen accident.
Recent cases include a woman accused of infidelity who was flogged by relatives in front of the village and a women who was beaten to death by her husband for not serving dinner on time.
A recent report by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) said violence against women in South Asia was on the rise, based on cases reported to the police.
Authorities in India say there were 50,703 cases of domestic violence in 2003 compared with 41,376 cases in 1998. Women's groups say the real figure could be 10 times more as most cases go unreported.
Despite some of the most powerful figures in India's political history being women, such as former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her daughter-in-law, Sonia Gandhi, who is president of the governing Congress party, the country remains patriarchal.
Lawyers say the new law, expected to be passed by Parliament this month)), will focus not on penalising the offender but on protecting and compensating the victim. This could be in the form of a share of the abuser's property and salary as well as medical damages for physical abuse and in certain cases, he will also have to cover the victim's legal costs. It provides for the appointment of protection officers and private service-providers to help abused women get medical and legal aid and a safe place to stay.
The definition of domestic violence has also been extended to include all kinds of abuse - physical, sexual, verbal, emotional and economic, making it easier for victims to complain and police and the judiciary to take action. The most empowering clause, however, relates to women's right to residence in shared households where the law will protect the rights of victims to secure a house or live in her married home.
Schiff Sexual Predator Amendment
Passed by Committee
Congressman Adam Schiff passed an amendment in the House Judiciary Committee that provides incentives to states that require lifetime electronic monitoring (GPS) of sex offenders. The amendment was offered to the "Children's Safety Act", a comprehensive bill to combat sex offenders who prey on children. Congressman Schiff is a co-sponsor of this legislation. "This bill dramatically increases penalties on those who prey upon our kids, and I strongly support it. My amendment will add the tool of GPS tracking technology to monitor predators for life."
Found on the Web
http://www.theglassceiling.com This site has been around for almost ten years and is a font of information for both men and women who come up to a glass ceiling.
Speaking of the Web - Do you need a website or know someone who does?
Linda LaZar has been a supporter of ours since working to establish the women's commission. She is a single mother, she writes for and edits Business Life Magazine and Senior Life Magazine, and is currently enjoying a couple of years in Oregon with her children as her son is at college up there. Linda has created some lovely websites including http://www.OregonBusinessWeb.com and and is really excited about working with organizations and businesses to help create websites that will help promote their services and products. So, when you're looking at who to call about a website, call or email Linda - you'll be pleased you did. lindalazar@comcast.net 541.431.3939
More Firsts
Cristeta Comerford, a naturalized US Citizen from the Philippines, was named the new White House executive chef - the first woman and the first minority.
Irma Becerra, a Captain in the Los Angeles Sheriff's department is the first Latina to command a field office - she heads the department's Pico Rivera station. Captain Becerra was recently named Latina of the Year by the National Latino Peace Officers Association.
Take Action - Against Breast Cancer
It only takes a minute....
Thanks to Erika Lamoureaux for reminding us about this:
Please tell ten friends to tell ten today! The Breast Cancer site is having trouble getting enough people to click on their site daily to meet their quota of donating at least one free mammogram a day to an underprivileged woman. It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on "donating a mammogram" for free (pink window in the middle).
This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate mammogram in exchange for advertising. Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know.
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/CTDSites
PLEASE TELL 10 FRIENDS TO TELL 10 TODAY
Subscriptions
Subscriptions to The Equality Standard are $12 per year, prorated monthly. So, for those of you willing and able to pay the subscription, please send a check made payable to Pauline Field for $4 for the remainder of 2005 to Equality Standard, 1315 Ruberta Avenue, Glendale, CA 91201 or call me with your credit card information at 818.243.2322. Thank you to those who have already subscribed!
Letters to the Editor
I am very grateful for the information you have sent me over the months; I would never have heard about the violence forum, for example, were it not for you! Sarah Hall
Editor's Comments
So many people ask me where I get my hair done that I am compelled to tell you all that if you are looking for a wonderful stylist and colorist, it would be hard to beat Sarah Kim. A couple of years ago I asked in this newsletter for recommendations and not one but two supporters referred me to her. I of course thought about these two women's hair and how their hair was styled and colored and realized how good they looked. And if it wasn't enough that she is good at her craft, she is also a lovely person. So, give her a try. She has had her salon for 12 years at the corner of Central and Stocker in Glendale. Her prices are reasonable and oh yes, look into the other treatments she offers too. Give her a call at 818.545.9333, you'll be glad you did.
After speaking last month on closing the gender gap on boards and commissions and stressing that we can all do a little to make our world a better place, I received the following in an email:
Never underestimate the power of a simple, pure deed done from the heart.
The world is not changed by men who move mountains, nor by those who lead the revolutions, nor by those whose purse strings tie up the world.
Dictators are deposed, oppression is dissolved, entire nations are transformed by a few precious acts of beauty performed by a handful of unknown soldiers.
In fact, it was Maimonides, a doctor and philosopher of the 12th century who wrote in his code of law, "Each person must see himself as though the entire world were held in balance and any deed he might do could tip the scales."
