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MPWBroadsheet

Guess, Women of Crypto, Medicine’s #MeToo: Broadsheet Feb. 21

Kristen Bellstrom
By
Kristen Bellstrom
Kristen Bellstrom
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Kristen Bellstrom
By
Kristen Bellstrom
Kristen Bellstrom
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 21, 2018, 7:37 AM ET

Good morning, Broadsheet readers! A whopping 94% of women in entertainment say they’ve faced sexual harassment, Barbie wants to teach girls to code, and medicine is ready for its #MeToo moment. Enjoy your Wednesday.

EVERYONE'S TALKING

•Medicine says Me Too. As the #MeToo movement continues to make it's way through society, it's interesting to see which industries are in the line of fire, and which, despite their own serious sexual harassment problems, seem immune—at least for now.

Entertainment, journalism, and politics (with some extremely notable exceptions—see the Washington Post story below) have felt the impact of the women who have come forward to tell their stories, felling many powerful men in the process. But where are the whistleblowers of corporate America, big law, or medicine?

This NBC News investigations digs into the latter, talking to nearly a dozen women in medicine who describe "widespread misconduct in hospitals and other health care settings, deeply woven into the fabric of their workplaces even as they made life-or-death decisions for their patients." The story also a cites a 2014 survey that found that about 30% of women in the field have experienced sexual harassment.

So, what accounts for the prevalence of misconduct in medicine—and for the delay in those stories coming out? For one, female physicians, and especially surgeons, remain significantly outnumbered by their male counterparts (though they may soon turn the tables: women now account for the majority of first-year medical school students). Medicine is also notoriously hierarchical, putting residents and nurses in a particularly vulnerable position. That power differential can also make it incredibly challenging for women to report their experiences.

These issues are deep-seated, and improving the situation will require significant structural change. Yet the first step is coming forward, as the brave women in this story have done. Let's hope we hear more from the world of medicine—and that it gets the #MeToo moment it clearly needs. NBC News

ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

•Tell it again, Crooks. Rachel Crooks, one of the 19 women who has come forward to accuse President Trump of sexual misconduct, has not stopped telling her story about being forcibly kissed by Trump in 2006—despite feeling like she has yet to really be heard and believed. She recently announced that she is running for state representative in Ohio, "in part so she could share her story more widely with voters across the state."
Washington Post

•Dolls who code. In attempt to get more young girls into STEM, Mattel has announced a partnership with education startup Tynker to create—you guessed it—Barbie-branded coding lessons. Michal Lev-Ram has the full story on the new offering, which should be rolled out this summer. Fortune

•Guess whose wallet just took a hit? Following accusations of sexual harassment by model Kate Upton, Guess cofounder Paul Marciano has temporarily relinquished his pay and day-to-day responsibilities at the brand. The charges have also tanked the company's stock: Since Upton first tweeted about the incident, shares have dropped roughly 22% and Marciano has lost more than $52 million from his stake. Fortune

•94 percent?!? This USA Today poll of 843 women who work in the entertainment industry finds that a jaw-dropping 94% said they have experienced sexual harassment or assault. Even more upsetting: 21% said they have been forced to do something sexual at least once. USA Today

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Katherine Rowe, provost and dean of faculty at Smith College, has been named president of the College of William & Mary. She will be the first female president in the school’s 325-year history.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

•Crypto needs (more) women.Fortune alum Erin Griffith writes about a summit—convened by venture investor Jalak Jobanputra—dedicated to pushing for greater diversity in cryptocurrency. Attendees pledged to seek out underrepresented groups for investment, hiring, and mentorship opportunities and launched a new body, The Collective Future, which will host all-female panels and hold office hours for underrepresented entrepreneurs looking to create crypto-focused startups. Wired

•Run, women, run! The wave of women running for office is still gathering steam: NPR reports that at last count, 431 women were running for or were likely to run for the House nationwide; at this point in 2016, there were 212. Likewise, 50 women are running for or likely to run for Senate, compared to 25 at this point in 2016. NPR

•Gals of gas. Less than 2% of the oil and gas companies in North America and western Europe are led by a woman. What's more, a new survey finds that the industry is failing many female employees at lower levels, with 51% of women who've been in their job for three to five years citing dissatisfaction over "a lack of awareness of opportunities to keep climbing." Bloomberg

•An ugly case gets even uglier. Stanford law professor Michele Dauber says she has received multiple rape threats over her role in the movement to recall Judge Aaron Persky—the judge who sentence Brock Turner to six months in jail and three years’ probation for the three felony counts of sexual assault. Yet the effort is going forward: it will be on the ballot in June. Washington Post

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ON MY RADAR

Change depends on young people like Emma Gonzalez The Cut

Margaret Johnson is AdAge's Executive of the Year AdAge

Queen Elizabeth makes a surprise appearance at London Fashion Week Marie Claire

Serena Williams: What my life-threatening experience taught me about giving birthCNN

QUOTE

I love this country and honestly tried my best.
Fergie, apologizing for her jazzy rendition of the National Anthem at the NBA All-Star Game
About the Author
Kristen Bellstrom
By Kristen Bellstrom
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