World Habitat Day: Why Adequate Housing Is Essential to Women’s Safety, Health and Power
By Blossom Ukoha For millions of women around the world, home is more than a physical structure. It is where children are raised, livelihoods are built, education begins and families seek safety. Yet for women living in informal settlements, overcrowded communities or insecure housing, home can also mean exposure to unsafe sanitation, violence, displacement, climate hazards and economic hardship. This World Habitat Day, the question of who has access to adequate housing must therefore include a deeper question: what happens when women do not? Observed on 5 October 2026 under the theme “Adequate Housing for All,” World Habitat Day draws global attention to the housing crisis and the need for inclusive, safe and sustainable human settlements. The 2026 global observance in Muscat, Oman, launches Urban October at a time when the scale of the crisis is enormous. According to UN-Habitat’s World Cities Report 2026, up to 3.4 billion people lack adequate housing,…
International Day for Universal Access to Information: Can Women Shape Their Futures Without Reliable Information?
By Blossom Ukoha A young woman sees an announcement about a government-funded business programme on her phone. The opportunity could help her expand her…
When Her Ambition Becomes a Relationship Issue: Can Love and Female Ambition Coexist?
“You can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful. Otherwise, you will threaten the man.”— Chimamanda…
Raising Emotionally Resilient Children: What Parents Can Do Every Day
It is bedtime, but your child is still awake. Tomorrow is the school presentation, and the anxiety that has been building all week has…
Jennifer Lopez: What Her Vogue World Milano Moment Says About the Power of Reinvention
“I’ve always responded to Dolce & Gabbana because it feels like they really love women through their clothes.”— Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lopez has spent…
From Alexandra to FirstRand: The Remarkable Rise of Mary Vilakazi
By Blossom Ukoha “Growing up I would not have said I would be CEO of the largest bank in South Africa, but it is…
What Does Lytania Johnson’s Rise to FNB CEO Mean for Women in Banking?
By Blossom Ukoha “My trajectory [was] an accumulation of different chapters across finance, risk, human capital, and corporate management.” For Lytania Johnson, becoming Chief…
Emrie Brown: How a “Jungle Gym” Career Led Her to the Top of RMB
By Blossom Ukoha A career does not always move in a straight line. For Emrie Brown, it has looked more like what she calls…
8 Hindrances Keeping Women-Owned Businesses from Scaling
By Blossom Ukoha A woman can build a profitable business, attract loyal customers and create jobs, yet still struggle to take that business to…
The Home as Her Power Base: Creating Spaces That Support the Woman You Are Becoming
By Janet Coin At the end of a demanding day, a woman walks through her front door, drops her bag and exhales. Work can…
The New Definition of a Successful Woman: Career, Family or Freedom?
By Blossom Ukoha For generations, society has offered women a familiar formula for success: build a career, get married, have children, care for the…
9 Remarkable Things to Know About Professor Ibironke Odumosu-Ayanu, the New Dean of a Canadian Law College
By Blossom Ukoha From Lagos to the Canadian Prairies, Professor Ibironke Odumosu-Ayanu’s journey is a story of intellectual curiosity, unexpected opportunities and academic excellence.…
