Iranian President Hassan Rouhani recently has brought three women into the government, one day after being criticized on social media for submitting an all-male list of cabinet members to parliament for approval. Massoumeh Ebtekar, head of Iran’s Department of Environment in Rouhani’s first term, was appointed vice president for women and family affairs. Laya Joneidi was named vice president for legal affairs while Shahindokht Molaverdi was made the president’s assistant for civil rights. Rouhani had mentioned the importance of women’s rights in campaign speeches before the presidential election in May when he was re-elected. The appointments are likely to tamp down some of the criticism that Rouhani faced from supporters on Tuesday when he failed to announce any female ministers in his cabinet. One widely-circulated post on social media showed Rouhani with his new all-male cabinet cast in a photo in front of a government building – with a huge…

By: Miracle Nwankwo In the light of several statements on the need for gender parity across regions, the CEO of YouTube Susan Wojcicki, has lent her voice while dispelling the notion that the tech job is not befitting for women. She said this in a column while reacting to a contentious discussion written in a memo on how the tech job is not befitting for a woman and how women are more unstable than men. This statement is a bigger blow to the womanhood, even with the increased rate of women participation in the tech world. In the column sent to Fortune, Susan started by quoting her daughters questions during a conversation they had after she saw the news. “Mom, is it true that there are biological reasons why there are fewer women in tech and leadership?” She continued by sharing her experiences and the difficulties she has been facing…

Recognizing women are high-spend travelers in their own right, Thai Airways International has recently launched an initiative to support the Women’s Journey Thailand campaign 2017. THAI is backing the month-long campaign to emphasize female travel with a special counter decked out in a ‘pink lady’ theme. The Tourism Authority of Thailand re-launched the campaign following the success of its 2016 campaign that offered special privileges for female travelers. THAI participated in the event by opening check-in counter row B09, decked out in a “Pink Lady Theme” to serve women customers traveling in all cabin classes and for every flight departing SWB, 0500 to 2000, for the month of August. The airline also offering women exclusive discounted fares for travel bookings made this month. Thailand celebrates the birthday of HM Queen Sirikit, 12 August, which is also Mother’s Day. Source: TTR

Chilean lawmakers have approved a bill that would legalize abortion in limited circumstances and end the socially conservative country’s status as the last in South America with a blanket ban on the procedure. The measure approved late Wednesday allows abortions when a woman’s life is in danger, when a fetus is not viable and in cases of rape. President Michelle Bachelet, a physician and former head of U.N. Women, backs the bill and has said she will sign it into law. It must still be approved by the Constitutional Tribunal, however, and opposition senators argue that the measure violates the Constitution. Chile legalized abortion for medical reasons in 1931, but the procedure was then banned under all circumstances during the 1973-1990 dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet. The bill’s passage comes as views continue to shift on social issues once considered taboo in the heavily Roman Catholic nation. Chile only began…