The World Needs More Women in Power
FemWealth Issue #29
Happy Sunday, FemWealth Friends!
“You cannot easily fit women into a structure that is already coded as male; you have to change the structure. That means thinking about power differently. It means decoupling it from public prestige. It means thinking collaboratively, about the power of followers not just of leaders. It means, above all, thinking about power as an attribute or even a verb (’to power’), not as a possession. What I have in mind is the ability to be effective, to make a difference in the world, and the right to be taken seriously, together as much as individually. It is power in that sense that many women feel they don't have - and that they want.” - Mary Beard, Women in Power
Today, Germans vote to elect a successor for Angela Merkel, the country’s chancellor, for the past 16 years. A trained quantum chemist who grew up in East Germany, Merkel has built a political career that spans more than three decades.
When she took the reigns of the German government, she was the youngest and first female chancellor in the democratic history of Europe’s most powerful country.
The longest-serving amongst current EU leaders, she has participated in hundreds of EU, G20, G7, and other international summits and has worked with 4 US presidents. During her time in power, she has provided a voice of calm in a turbulent and shifting world.
The first German chancellor to step down entirely by choice, she leaves behind a mixed legacy at the national and European levels. Perceived more as a pragmatist and crisis manager than a political visionary, here are some key takeaways from Merkel’s four mandates at the helm of the German government:
What she has done well:
- provided stability in Germany, EU, and the world, during multiple crises: Eurozone (2008), refugee crisis (2015), Covid-19;
- promoted a more open and multicultural society;
- pushed for gender parity in the German government;
- supported the political ascent of women and has been a powerful role model for young generations of girls and women who grew up seeing women as competent political leaders;
What she could have done better:
- push for more action to mitigate the effects of climate change and transition to a green economy;
- address the gender pay gap (still one of the worst in Europe) and childcare infrastructure, and encourage more women into leading positions in business and politics;
- provide a new vision for Germany, the EU, and the world.
Read more:
Affluent, Anxious and Almost Normal: A Journey Through Merkel’s Germany
'Eternal' chancellor: Germany's Merkel prepares to leave the stage
Merkel’s Reign Has Done Little to Help Germany’s Working Women
Angela Merkel: Four expert verdicts on a contested legacy | Germany After Merkel
An insightful account of Merkel’s leadership by Akshi Chawla, from #WomenLead:
Time will tell what the long-term legacy of Angela Merkel will be. She will most likely be succeeded by men, both in German and European politics.
Only 24 (soon 23?) of the 193 UN member states have a woman serving as either head of state or head of government. The world needs more women in power, not just in politics but also in economics, finances, and other areas where high-stake decisions are made.
FemWealth Favorites ❤️
💸 Elvie’s Tania Boler: lessons in overcoming investors’ resistance
👇🏽 How to bring more women into the startup world:
© Near Space Labs' founders Ignasi Lluch, Rema Matevosyan and Albert Caubet | NEAR SPACE LABS
💸 Other successful raises:
🏥 Women’s Health & FamTech: Seven Starling Launches with $2.9M in Funding to Support Parents During Pregnancy and Beyond | Alpha Medical Raises $24M to Reinvent Women’s Primary Care | Famtech Startup Koble Raises a $1M Pre-Seed Round for Its Parenting Platform via Femtech Insider
💸 16 Black female founders in the UK who have raised funding
💸 Nigerian fintech HerVest - co-founded and led by Solape Akinpelu wants to bring financial inclusion to more African women
👶 How Natalist Conquered a Fertility Industry Run By Men
👩🏽💻 A Silicon Valley CEO Shares Her Strategy For Building A Dream Career - by Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, founder & CEO at Joyus.com, shares her insights into how she approaches career growth: “Many people subscribe to what I call the Myth of the Single Choice. They think people are successful because they take one mighty risk. The opposite is true. A career is built over many, many choices.”
🏆 Michaela Coel won an Emmy for "Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series," 2021
“Write the tale that scares you, that makes you feel uncertain, that isn’t comfortable. I dare you. In a world that entices us to browse through the lives of others to help us better determine how we feel about ourselves, and to in turn feel the need to be constantly visible, for visibility these days seems to somehow equate to success—do not be afraid to disappear. From it. From us. For a while. And see what comes to you in the silence." - Michaela Coel
👩🏽🎨 Frida Kahlo estimated $30m self-portrait set to smash records - ‘Diego y yo’ is expected to become the most valuable Latin American artwork ever publicly sold
© Frida Kahlo's 1949 self-portrait “Diego y yo”; Photograph Sotheby's
💭 Teaching made me realize adulthood is a myth. I want to show my students it’s okay to be human. - loved this short illustrated story
🤱🏽 It’s Time To Retire The Phrase “Working Mom” and replace it with employed caregiver
🗻 🧗🏿♀️FOR THE FIRST TIME, A TEAM OF ALL-BLACK WOMEN CLIMBED MOUNT KILIMANJARO, AND THEY'RE ALL OVER 40
💃🏻 Taking the ‘Shame Part’ Out of Female Anatomy
✍️ I FOUND THE FEMINISM I WAS LOOKING FOR IN THE LOST WRITINGS OF A 17TH-CENTURY PRIEST
🎧 The Money Challenges Women Face in 2021, With Claer Barrett
🎧 Check the Data: It’s a Man’s World (The Freakonomics Radio Book Club Ep. 10) with Caroline Criado Perez and Maria Konnikova
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Thank you for reading FemWealth!
Wish you an exciting week ahead!
Anamaria
Founder & Writer @FemWealth