Thanks for reading the eleventh edition of the 162 Report, a bi-monthly tip sheet from SKDKnickerbocker’s new Women’s Leadership & Advocacy Practice. Know someone who would enjoy the 162 Report? Anyone can subscribe by emailing us at info@skdknick.com.
WOMEN IN POLITICS
Hook, Line and Sink Him
Hillary Clinton has officially struck a balance on gender that seems to resonate with the electorate. Despite being the first female nominee to take the debate stage for a major party, Clinton made no mention of that accomplishment. The former Secretary of State focused on the issues and emphasized her knowledge, power, and experience while maintaining a composed exterior despite Trump’s bombastic behavior.
Clinton chose not to fall victim to Trump’s attempts to demean or belittle her. According to Clinton’s campaign, this light touch gender strategy proved successful and put Clinton in a position where she could simply say, “I think his [Trump’s] demeanor, his temperament, his behavior on the stage could be seen by everybody.” In other words, her strategy was to let Trump be Trump, and to allow people to make up their own minds.
According to CNN, Clinton expertly maneuvered Trump into a position where he’d either have to recant previous degrading comments to women or double down on them. As expected, the morning following the debate, Trump chose to defend his comments, even those regarding the weight of former beauty contestant, Alicia Machado. There’s no word as of yet on whether these comments have affected Trump’s recent gains with suburban women.
Read more here.
WOMEN IN ADVOCACY
Amal Stands Up to ISIS
Human Rights lawyer Amal Clooney has teamed up with ISIS survivor and activist Nadia Murad, to persuade the international community to hold ISIS accountable for the genocide of the Yazidi people.
Murad, 23, was a young Yazidi farm girl when she was first captured by ISIS in 2014. Murad managed to escape three months later after she was repeatedly gang raped and survived the death of her mother and six brothers at the hands of ISIS. Despite Murad’s harrowing experience, she has continued to show courage in the fight for justice for her people, sharing her story and interviewing survivors with Clooney. Last year, Murad addressed the United Nations and testified before the U.S. Congress. This year, she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Both women have received threats to their lives but Murad isn’t giving up anytime soon. And neither is Clooney.
“I believe in international justice. I believe it’s important that you don’t just turn the page without people being held to account,” said Clooney.
To read more about Clooney and Murad’s case against ISIS, click here.
WOMEN IN BUSINESS
When Ambition Isn’t Enough
According to new research by LeanIn.org and McKinsey & Co., women of color are the most underrepresented group in the senior and upper level ranks of companies.
While many women are just beginning to break the glass ceiling, Black, Hispanic, and Asian women have it twice as hard. And it’s not for lack of ambition. Of the women surveyed, 48% of women of color said they aspired to be a top executive, compared with 37% of white women.
Solving this issue remains difficult, but women of color serving in corporate diversity roles say they are working to make managers at all levels of their companies take responsibility for diversity in hiring, promoting and mentoring.
In the corporate environment where mentors are the key to success, many minority women in senior positions see providing a road map for women like them as a professional obligation.
To read more in the Wall Street Journal click here. For the full report from Leanin.org and McKinsey & Co., click here.
WOMEN IN SPORTS
A Hail Mary
The NFL has started to take women seriously as viewers, consumers and coaches. Between 2009 and 2013, the NFL’s female viewership increased by 26% while men’s increased by only 18%. In 2013, the NFL found that women comprise 45% of its fan base and one-third of the viewership. These rising numbers, in concert with recent concerns regarding the NFL’s position on domestic violence incidents involving players, have led the NFL to attempt to connect with its female audience on a greater level.
Cue the appointment of Sam Rapoport, longtime NFL employee and former women’s professional football player, as the new director of football development. Sam is in charge of identifying qualified women to hold on-field positions. To achieve this, she’s developing a program to train female candidates who are actively involved with football at the high school, college and professional levels. Through this initiative, women would ultimately be connected with the 32 NFL teams as potential coaches, officials, scouts and trainers.
Currently, women hold 30% of the front office positions for the NFL. In 2015, the first female position coach, Jen Welter was hired by the Arizona Cardinals, and the league hired its first female full-time on-field official. Rapoport is encouraged that the NFL is working towards putting women in power and dismantling the idea that only men can coach and train.
Read more here.
BONUS
We’re Not Gonna Take It
This week, SKDK’s own Senior Vice President Sam Levine called out Donald Trump for the abhorrent language he has used in the past to refer to women. From calling a Miss America winner “Miss Piggy” to insulting Carly Fiorina’s looks during the primaries, Trump has made a habit of belittling and denigrating women.
Sam speaks for many of us when she says, “this would almost be funny if it weren’t so damn terrifying.”
Read more here.
BONUS
- Emily Blunt and ‘Girl on the Train’ author Paula Hawkins discuss double standards in the Hollywood Reporter.
- Refinery29 covers Hillary Clinton’s powerful new ad that shows the effect a Trump presidency could have on young women.
- Fortune reports that the Clinton Foundation’s No Ceilings initiative partnered with major corporations to invest in women’s economic progress around the world.
- Christine Quinn recounts her comeback and return to public service since her loss in the mayoral election in Vogue.
- Tory Burch writes a piece for the Wall Street Journal on why she’s giving her employees the day off to vote.
- Mashable tells us why this year was a good year for queer women on television.
- Elle interviews Boston’s first “Chief Resilience Officer,” Atyia Martin, who discusses the impact of racism on cities and how to help a city heal and thrive.