As chairman of the board of commissioners for the Houston Port Authority, Longoria became the first woman and person of colour to hold the position. She serves on the board of CenterPoint Energy, a Fortune 500 electric and natural gas utility serving Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas.
By: Natalie Obiko Pearson Reiko Abe became a civil engineer in Japan, but she couldn’t find a job. An ancient Shinto superstition, made part of Japan’s labor law, held that if a woman entered a tunnel under construction, she would anger the jealous mountain goddess and cause worker accidents. Two decades later, Abe has become the face of Japan’s global engagement as the nation seeks to overcome its image as an economic laggard and a wasteland for career women. Television advertisements featuring her have run on CNN and the BBC. She’s been lauded by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (no relation) for showcasing Japan’s strengths abroad and symbolizing why the country needs to promote more women in a workforce where less than 5 percent of managers are female. The irony is that Abe, 51, had to leave Japan. After overseeing construction safety on Indian metro projects for seven years, she’s been…
Mrs Tsitsi Masiyiwa is an African philanthropist and social entrepreneur who has devoted much of her life to empowering disadvantaged children through education and harnessing technology to create employment opportunities for young people.
After the Millennium development goals (MDG’s) ran for its stipulated number of years, the United Nations in 2015 came up with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) which singled out women-related issues as one of its key focuses. There have been several efforts geared towards not only bridging the gender gaps across the world, but also ensuring that women empowerment that will on the long run yield financial independence among women serves as a veritable tool to achieve these goals. Several organisations and individuals have come together in different forms to contribute their quota towards improving the mode of living for women who largely feel vulnerable and marginalized and one of these organizations is the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). For decades, USAID has partnered with the Government of Jordan and civil society organizations to support the well-being and empowerment of women and girls. With an education system that…
By: Dave Willis One of the most frustrating challenges in a marriage happens when one spouse is doing the majority of the work and the other spouse seems content to be “lazy.” I often hear things like, “I just don’t know what to do! I feel like I’m carrying everything by myself and he/she doesn’t seem to care.” That’s certainly a lonely and frustrating situation, and if you’re currently facing the unique challenges of a lazy or disconnected husband or wife, here are a few ways you may be able to help the situation… COMMUNICATE your frustrations but DON’T NAG. It’s natural to want to talk with sarcasm, nagging and criticism when your husband doesn’t seem to be “getting it,” but those negative approaches rarely have any positive impact. Instead, look for ways to communicate your needs and frustrations with more care and less criticism. Most people respond better to…
By: John Namkwahe Ismail Mohammed, 35, a resident of Mkunwa in Mtwara rural district and a peasant farmer of cassava and cashewnuts, had never before heard of gender equality and he didn’t have the slightest idea what the word ‘gender’ really means. He is married to Mwanaasha Juma and the two have been blessed with two children; a daughter (10-year-old) and a son (6-year-old). Due to lack of knowledge about gender equality, Ismail admits to committing a number of social injustices such as depriving his wife of her basic rights. Such a misguided attitude towards his wife consequently led to unending misunderstandings in the family. Ismail now regrets his former dictatorial demeanor and looks to God for forgiveness. Ismail represents a number of men with the same overbearing attitude towards their spouses; an attitude that has seen women being deprived of their rights such as right of ownership, freedom of…
Despite the challenges women in the middle east have faced trying to do the things they love best, there are some who have defied the odds and forged ahead as entrepreneurs in their regions. Randa I. Abdou is the CEO/Chief Strategy & Creative Officer of Creative Lab Group Egypt and here is her story:
