When former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson received a $20 million settlement from the network over the sexual harassment lawsuit she filed against former chairman and CEO Roger Ailes, she said, “I’m ready to move on to the next chapter of my life in which I will redouble my efforts to empower women in the workplace.”
Her statement, while rather boilerplate, was remarkable for one simple reason: Carlson has a next chapter.
In a new feature for Fortune, Laura Cohn reports that victims of sexual harassment who go public with their claims—even those who win large awards or settlements—often find it extraordinarily difficult, both psychologically and professionally, to stage a next act. In that sense, they are victims twice over. And yet, the women who talked to Cohn don’t regret their decisions to come forward.
“It was a sense of duty to other women and a sense of duty to the military I served,” says Paula Coughlin, a former Navy lieutenant, who sued after a 1991 incident at a Las Vegas Hilton Hotel, during which she claimed drunken Naval and Marine officers sexually assaulted her and several other women. “We had criminals in our midst. That does not sit right with me.”
clairezillman
EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA
| Turning the tables |
| The EU's top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, says the bloc is prepared for a more deal-oriented relationship with the U.S. once President-elect Donald Trump takes office, and she played down the prospect that Trump's interest in friendlier ties with Russia would necessarily counter Europe's priorities. In fact, she said a more independent EU might align with Russia against any attempt by Trump to scuttle the Iran deal, change Middle East policy, or diminish the role of the UN. |
| Wall Street Journal |
|
|
| Out of her Shell | | Jessica Uhl is the new CFO at the Hague-based Royal Dutch Shell as Simon Henry, who's held the role for seven years, leaves the company. Uhl, an American, started working at Shell in 2004 as a finance manager for its solar business in Amsterdam, and she's currently the EVP of finance for its integrated gas unit. Before Shell, she worked at Citibank in commercial and real estate finance. | | Bloomberg |
|
|
|
| A matter of inches | | Earlier this week, female employees of Israel's parliament wore skirts that hit above the knee to protest a recently "refreshed" dress code that guards are enforcing by inspecting women's hemlines. The skirmish over skirts began when a parliamentary aide with an above-the-knee hem was held up by guards until her boss Merav Michaeli, of the center-left Zionist Union, intervened. Michaeli said the aide's experience was "humiliating" and stated that while respectful attire is necessary, "modesty patrols" are not. | | New York Times |
|
THE AMERICAS
| A first lady's legacy | | Trump has publicly vowed to dismantle most of Barack Obama's legacy, but Michelle Obama's legacy is at risk, too. The first lady has championed anti-obesity initiatives and pushed policies that have played a part in changing how millions of Americans—especially kids—eat. Experts say her policies have contributed to several positive trends, but now there's worry that Trump could uproot the healthy food movement the first lady started. | | Washington Post |
|
|
|
| Anna's apology | | Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour met with Donald Trump this week after apologizing for making critical comments about the president-elect that were overheard on a commuter train. Wintour, who publicly supported Hillary Clinton, reportedly slammed Trump's charity and claimed he will use the presidency to profit personally. She later apologized, saying she hopes Trump will “be a successful president for us all." | | Motto |
|
|
|
|
ASIA-PACIFIC
| The Philippines' fighter | Time has a feature on Filipino Senator Leila de Lima who has put her career, reputation, and personal safety on the line to fight President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs. The pressing question now is whether she can survive a savage character assassination and brutal political and popular opposition to save her country.
| | Time |
|
|
|
| Ready to roll | | The BBC tested out India's "Bikxie" service, two-wheeled taxis for women that are driven by women. The service is an answer to the fear some women feel when riding with male drivers, especially after dark. | | BBC |
|
IN BRIEF
| Watch Ruth Negga read Zadie Smith’s 'Swing Time' | | Vogue |
|
| Oklahoma will require anti-abortion signs in public restrooms | | Motto |
|
| This feminist fashion brand in London is changing the game | | Refinery29 |
|
| The top 10 innovations that made women's lives better in 2016 | | Fast Company |
|
| Fox News' Monica Crowley to join Trump administration | | CNN Money |
|
| DC Comics is making an all-women supervillain movie | | Quartz |
|
PARTING WORDS
|
|
|
|
| --Cleo Wade, an Instagram poet, who's being called the Millennial Oprah. |
