Good morning, Broadsheet readers. GM CEO Mary Barra suffered a setback, and Indian companies need to find women directors to fill 750 positions… by next month! Read on to learn about a tech innovators list comprised of 90% women. Have a great Thursday!
EVERYONE'S TALKING
• Japan's most powerful woman? Yuko Obuchi, the daughter of a former Japanese premier, was appointed the country's first female trade and industry minister. Obuchi will join four other women in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's new cabinet, and will oversee the country's unpopular plan to restart nuclear reactors closed down after Fukushima in 2011. “If Japan gets a female prime minister, probably Obuchi will be the first,” a source told Bloomberg. Bloomberg
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
• Mary Barra's streak comes to an end. Even during its massive vehicle recall, General Motors had increased sales every month since March. But not in August, in which the Detroit automaker experienced a 1.2% year-over-year sales decrease. NYTimes
• Robin Roberts steps out. The television host launched her own production company that will produce original content for ABC and other networks. Named Rock'N Robin, its first effort will feature a series of interviews with star athletes like Michael Sam, the first openly-gay player to be drafted by an NFL team. Jezabel
• The largest-ever VC fund led by women. Oak HC/FT yesterday announced that it has raised $500 million for its first venture capital fund. Two of Oak HC/FT’s three general partners are women, making it the largest fund ever raised by a female-majority VC firm. Fortune
• Indian companies go on hiring spree for women. Indian companies are legally required to have at least one woman director on their board by next month. Despite the quota, more than half the listed companies in India still have no women on their boards. That means 25 women need to be appointed to Indian boards each day for the next 30 days. Quartz
• Serena Williams takes on semis. The defending champion won her 19th straight U.S. Open match with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Flavia Pennetta on Wednesday night. Williams will take on Ekaterina Makarova on Friday in the semifinals. NYTimes
• Joan Rivers leaves intensive care. Melissa Rivers posted on Facebook that her mother had been moved into a private room "where she is being kept comfortable." The Wire
BROADVIEW
Where are all the women in tech?
We've written a lot about the shortage of women working at tech companies, as have other media outlets. Yet a recent list highlighting 50 rising stars in tech painted a different picture. In fact, the list features just 6 men and 44 women.
Nearly 90% of the most innovative people working in tech PR and digital communications are women, according to PRWeek's The Innovation 50. From Ana Andreescu at Dropbox to Anne Espiritu at Yahoo, the list highlights impressive accomplishments out of a pool of tech employees that is mostly filled with women.
Yes, we know that PR jobs are predominately filled by women. But my hunch is that if you made a list of the top 50 PR reps in other male-dominated industries like autos or pharmaceuticals, the same female-heavy cast would not come to the surface. The reality is there are plenty of women working -- and succeeding -- at tech companies. They just might not be working in the jobs that you might think. While we need to continue to take action to encourage more young girls to study in the STEM fields and pursue technical educations, there is also something to be said for shining a light on the many non-technical jobs available at tech companies.
I recently spoke with Karen Quintos, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Dell, and she feels similarly about the issue.
"A job is technology is not always about computer science or engineering," she explained. "It could be about being a marketer in a high-tech business. I think that is a key part of the dialogue and you need to make it more exciting for them for them to move into these more tech-focused roles."
Perhaps reminding young girls of this reality is also an important part of the discussion.
What's your take? Email me at caroline.fairchild@fortune.com with your thoughts.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
• GOP gears ads toward women. A new television ad for the Colorado Senate race features Republican Rep. Cory Gardner talking about selling birth-control pills over the counter to a group of women nodding in approval. The campaign comes after a report that concluded female voters view the GOP as “intolerant,” “lacking in compassion” and “stuck in the past.” WSJ
• Finnish conductor makes history. Susanna Malkki will become the first woman to lead the Helsinki Philharmonic since it was founded in 1882. “This orchestra has played a central role in the musical history of my country for well over 100 years,” says Malkki. NYTimes
• Female playwright comes to Broadway. Lisa D’Amour's dark comedy "Airline Highway" will be the first new Broadway play authored by a woman since the spring of 2013. NYTimes
ON MY RADAR
Glenn Beck predicts Hillary 2016 win Politico
Is England's maternity leave unaffordable? Slate
We should ask women more on the red carpet Daily Beast
Columbia Bank CEO on banking's "old boys club" Bizwomen
Women's rights country-by-country The Guardian
QUOTE
Miracle workers get canonized, not recognized. And every time you make a miracle happen, you wind up raising the bar for yourself. But that doesn’t usually translate into acknowledgement or promotions because you’re seen as a do-er — not somebody who knows how to set boundaries, be strategic and be willing to negotiate.Lois Frankel, the author of Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office, discusses mistakes women make when they tap into their Wonder Woman instinct at the workplace.