On Friday, Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Isabella Lövin published a photograph of herself signing a climate bill while surrounded by seven female colleagues, one of whom is pregnant. The tableau was noticeably similar to one of U.S. President Donald Trump signing a bill that limited women’s access to abortion counseling worldwide except for one difference: in his photo, Trump was surrounded entirely by men.
At the time Trump’s photo was published, it drew intense ire. California Senator Kamala Harris tweeted the image. “This group just made it more difficult for women to get access to health care worldwide. You tell me what’s wrong with this picture,” she said.
Lövin’s message was deliberate but subtle. She would only say that the photo illustrated Sweden’s “feminist government” and that “it was up to the observer” to decipher its message.
But it’s apparent that the picture was interpreted as Lövin had hoped. On Saturday, she tweeted her appreciation for “the thousands of awesome, powerful people from all around the world thanking us for the #climate law pic.” She added: “Love. Stay focused!”
EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA
| . |
| A future Frexit? |
| France's National Front party leader Marine Le Pen officially launched her presidential campaign yesterday. In her speech, she attacked globalization and the dangers of immigration and promised a Brexit-like referendum to determine France's future membership in the EU. "What is at stake in this election ... is whether France can still be a free nation," she said "The divide is not between the left and right anymore but between patriots and globalists!" |
| CNN |
THE AMERICAS
| This time, it's personal |
| Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Girls who Code—a non-profit that has trained 40,000 girls to do just that—published an op-ed against Trump's travel ban that called on fellow Americans to “stand up and fight for an America that welcomes young doers and dreamers." For Saujani, the matter is unusually personal as her parents were refugees granted political asylum in the U.S. after being expelled from Uganda in 1973. She sees parallels between that ugly moment in Uganda and America today. |
| Fortune |
| . |
| Under pressure |
| After Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus dropped Ivanka Trump products, Macy's is under pressure to do the same. The store's social media channels have been inundated with customer requests to stop selling items from Trump's line, and Business Insider reports that some corporate employees are uncomfortable with their roles selling and marketing her products following Donald Trump's election. |
| Business Insider |
| . |
| Oh, Snap |
| Ahead of Snapchat's IPO, parent company Snap Inc. disclosed details of its business in its S-1 filing. The paperwork reveals that of its nine directors, only one is female. Hearst Magazines chief content officer Joanna Coles is the sole woman and she made less than all of her male colleagues last year. |
| Fortune |
ASIA-PACIFIC
| In the driver's seat |
| Entrepreneur Renou Chea started Moto Girl Tour, which only hires female drivers to transport tourists in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The business is unique and somewhat risky since women drivers are rare and women who associate with foreigners are often assumed to work in the sex trade. |
| BBC |
| . |
| Holla, 'We want prenup' |
| Pauline Hanson, leader of Australia's One Nation party, wants to force couples to have prenuptial agreements that would outline how they'd deal with children and assets in the event of a divorce. She said the change would free up the court system. |
| Guardian |
IN BRIEF
| Starting with ‘she-ro’ Wonder Woman, spring’s movies look encouraging for exhilarating female roles |
| Washington Post |
| Why are India's housewives killing themselves? |
| BBC |
| Indonesian women being radicalized into would-be suicide bombers |
| Guardian |
| The truth about coming back from maternity leave |
| Bloomberg |
| Xerox's Ursula Burns: Business is made for men |
| CNNMoney |
PARTING WORDS
|
|---|
| --Actress Annette Bening, on the unrealistic expectations of women. |