Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Mary Meeker goes for $1 billion, Donna Zuckerberg says social media makes misogyny so much worse, and the U.K. puts its own spin on Equal Pay Day. Have a mindful Monday.
EVERYONE'S TALKING
• Out of office. When you devote your days to covering women’s equality (or lack thereof), it can sometimes feel like you’re in a bit of an echo chamber. After all, most of the people who make the effort to read the Broadsheet already have a good grasp on the issues we cover. While I’m beyond grateful to be part of the community of our readers, I do wonder: How can we widen our discussion of the hurdles women still face to include an audience that might not know much about them?
So, you can imagine my delight in reading this New York Times story about how women in the U.K. are marking their Equal Pay Day, which fell on Saturday. Unlike the U.S., where Equal Pay Day falls on the date women have to work to in a new year to make as much as men did in the previous one (it was April 10 in 2018), the Brits define it as the day women start effectively “working for free.” And to drive that fact home, some women on Saturday turned on automatic email replies saying, “I’m out of office until 2019.”
I love this playful yet pointed way of reminding every single person who emails you of the existence of the wage gap and the reality that it affects women they know—including the one they just emailed. What do you think: Should we adopt this in the U.S. for 2019? New York Times
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
• What's cooler than a million dollars? Famed investor Mary Meeker, who announced her departure from Kleiner Perkins in September, is reportedly raising up to $1.25 billion for her first fund. That would "immediately be among the biggest women-led investment firms in terms of assets under management." TechCrunch
• Three's a trend. President Donald Trump spent much of last week talking down to black women journalists who cover his presidency: PBS Newshour correspondent Yamiche Alcindor, CNN reporter Abby Phillip, and American Urban Radio Networks correspondent April Ryan. Ryan wrote about that pattern over the weekend: "The journalists covering Trump’s presidency are professionals, and I’m confident that all of us, including the African American women covering this White House, will continue to do our jobs no matter how we’re treated by President Trump," she wrote. "But we shouldn’t have to put up with the kind of treatment we received this week." Washington Post
• Headlines from the Philippines. Maria Ressa runs the startup publication Rappler in the Philippines, and was accused of tax evasion by the government. Ressa told the New York Times that it's a move by the government of President Rodrigo Duterte to intimidate and harass journalists. Meanwhile, former First Lady Imelda Marcos—a current congresswoman in the Philippines—was found guilty of graft.
• The women of WWI. Sunday marked the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. To honor the occasion, world leaders gathered in Paris. Here, we have an incredible photo series of the women who worked in wartime factories and fought in the war. BuzzFeed
MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Former Hillary Clinton adviser Ann O'Leary will be chief of staff to incoming California Governor Gavin Newsom. Rent the Runway COO Maureen Sullivan joins the board of Choice Hotels.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
• Facebook follows suit. Facebook will no longer require sexual harassment claims to be handled through forced arbitration, the company announced Friday, the day after Google made the same change. Facebook and Google join Microsoft and Uber in scrapping rules that barred their employees from pursuing sexual harassment claims in court. Wall Street Journal
• No bias here? Wells Fargo ended its investigation into gender bias in its wealth management unit and found that "there is unequivocally no gender bias" there, said division head Jon Weiss. Female senior executives in the unit said they were "systematically belittled" and blocked from promotions. Wall Street Journal
• Angel apology. Victoria's Secret CMO Ed Razek gave a controversial interview last week in which he said that the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show didn't include any transgender models—or "transsexuals," as he put it—because the show is an aspirational "fantasy." He also claimed that "no one [has] any interest" in fashion shows featuring plus-size models. Razek apologized for his comments on Friday. Variety
• Toxic masculinity. Donna Zuckerberg, a Classics scholar and sister of Mark Zuckerberg, found that misogynists are misusing texts from the ancient world to support their ideal of white masculinity. Of note: Zuckerberg's conclusion that "social media has elevated misogyny to entirely new levels of violence and virulence." That could make for some awkward Thanksgiving conversation... The Guardian
Editor's note: Friday's Broadsheet stated that Tesla's new chair Robyn Denholm was its first female director. In fact, Laurie Yoler was on the board from 2003 to 2008, prior to Tesla going public in 2010. We regret the error.
Today's Broadsheet was produced by Emma Hinchliffe. Share it with a friend. Looking for previous Broadsheets? Click here.
ON MY RADAR
In revealing new memoir, Michelle Obama candidly shares her story Washington Post
How to succeed in business by being a Taylor Swift fan Vox
Gillian Flynn peers into the dark side of femininity New York Times Magazine
Phoebe Robinson's work diary: 'The sausage is getting made very publicly, but it makes you fearless' New York Times
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| Minnesota Congresswoman-elect Ilhan Omar on the 'New Yorker' cover featuring new members of Congress making their way into the institution |
