Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Silicon Valley lawyers are reporting a “Pao effect,” tech companies are skimping on parental perks, and a female billionaire makes a bold move. Read on to learn what Carly Fiorina and Elizabeth Warren have in common. Have a fantastic Wednesday.
EVERYONE'S TALKING
• Judging Johnson. In a critical profile, the Wall Street Journal looks at the track record of Abigail Johnson, who took charge of Fidelity in October after her father, Ned Johnson, misdirected the money-management giant. Abigail has been so eager to change the company that she once tried to oust her own dad as CEO, and now that she's in the top seat, she's cut costs, made staffing changes, and expanded the business into areas Ned resisted. However, there are still some analysts and execs who question whether she's the right CEO to lead Fidelity forward. WSJ
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
• Ellen's impact. Since Ellen Pao sued VC firm Kleiner Perkins for gender discrimination, Silicon Valley plaintiff's lawyers are reporting an uptick in the number of women coming forward with their own discrimination complaints. And Pao's loss has not stemmed the tide. In fact, some attorneys told Fortune that the Pao verdict made their clients more determined to speak out. Fortune
• What about parental perks? Tech companies may be known for their lavish employee perks, but they often lack even the most basic support for parents--including parental leave policies. The New York Times argues that the struggles of Silicon Valley parents are emblematic of a larger problem: The U.S. is having a more difficult time adjusting to the realities of modern family life than any other affluent country. NY Times
• Carly targets big business. In an interview with Fortune's Nina Easton, likely Republican presidential candidate and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina calls for less "crony capitalism" and more focus on the free market. Fiorina showed some surprising similarities to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) by emphasizing an anti-big business theme. Fortune
• One and done? According to disturbing new research, a woman’s chances of landing one of a company’s five highest-paid executive jobs drop by 51% if there’s already a woman on the team. “It might very well be the case that male top managers just want to check a box," says Cristian Dezso, an associate professor at University of Maryland's b-school. WSJ
• Wage winners? What do Orlando, Fla., Trenton, N.J., and Inglewood, Calif. have in common? According to a new study, they're all cities where women earn more than men. While it's nice to see women on the right side of the wage gap, don't get too excited about these findings. Most of the 20 cities that made the list have a lower than average median income, suggesting that women are more likely to come out on top in areas dominated by low-wage work. Forbes
• The dynasty continues. The UConn Huskies won their third straight N.C.A.A. women’s basketball championship last night, beating Notre Dame 63-53. The victory marks a record 10th championship for coach Geno Auriemma, whose teams have never lost in the title game. It also made forward Breanna Stewart, who was named the Final Four’s most outstanding player, 3 for 3 in title games. NY Times
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
• Girl bosses. Yes, women still face a wage gap and a variety of other challenges. However, new data from BMO Bank points out an impressive bit of of progress: Women now hold 52% of management, professional and related positions. Plus, we're the primary breadwinners in more than 40% of U.S. households, a nearly four-fold increase from 1960. Fusion
• Political balancing act. In 2007, Spain passed a law that requires political parties in local elections to make sure that at least 40% of their candidates are women. Eight years later, it seems that the parties that made the largest increases in the number of women on their tickets have fared best with voters. Quartz
• Lit pubs get panned. Women buy more books than men do, but men still pen the majority of book reviews. A new study by Vida, which champions women in literature, found that men are still over-represented in the pages of some of the world's most influential literary publications. Last year, for example, The New York Review of Books featured 677 male contributors and authors, compared to 242 women. The Guardian
• And speaking of book reviews... The New York Times is slamming a new book from Judith Miller, the paper's former investigative reporter who promoted the notion of pre-war WMDs in Iraq and later, in the Valerie Plame CIA controversy, went to jail for refusing to disclose a source. NY Times
• Iron lady. Asia's richest woman, Gina Rinehart, is doubling down on her $10 billion iron ore mine in Australia. Prices for the ore are at a 10-year low, but that hasn't stopped her from locking in supply contracts with three of the largest iron ore consuming Asian nations outside of China. Will the multi-billionaire's bet pay off? "The best returns are generally built during the downtown,” says Carl Adams, national sector leader for mining at KPMG. Bloomberg
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ON MY RADAR
Unveiled: "Nobody expects Muslim women to be comedians" The Guardian
5 Things Maya Angelou actually said that would've made a good stamp Mashable
Dana Perino explains why guys in Washington are undateable Washington Post
Why you're most likely to get hired on a Tuesday Fast Company
Gertrude Weaver, world's oldest woman, dies at 116 NPR
QUOTE
I made a decision that if I was going to do this with people watching, then I’m going to have to reveal myself. And so people connected to me, and that’s in turn why they ended up buying my products.
Bethenny Frankel, on how reality TV contributed to the success of her Skinnygirl products. Frankel returned to <em>The Real Housewives of New York</em> this week.
