From Associated Press:A record five women were among the 13 people awarded Nobel Prizes on Thursday, including a writer who depicted life behind the Iron Curtain and two American researchers who showed how chromosomes protect themselves from degrading.
The prizes were created in Alfred Nobel's 1895 will, which stipulated that they be granted to those who "have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind." They were first awarded in 1901.
Only 40 women have won the prestigious awards, including Marie Curie who was given the 1903 physics prize and the chemistry prize eight years later. In all, 802 individuals and 20 organizations have received Nobel Prizes over the years.
* Romanian-born author Herta Mueller accepted the Nobel literature award for her critical depiction of life behind the Iron Curtain — work drawn largely from her personal experiences.
* Elinor Ostrom, 76, made history by being the first woman to receive the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, sharing it with fellow American Oliver Williamson for their work in economic governance.
* Americans Elizabeth H. Blackburn, 61, and Carol W. Greider, 48, shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine with countryman Jack W. Szostak for their work in solving the mystery of how chromosomes protect themselves from degrading when cells divide.
* The chemistry award was shared by 70-year-old Ada Yonath of Israel and Americans Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Thomas Steitz for their atom-by-atom description of ribosomes, the protein-making machinery within cells. Their research is being used to develop new antibiotics.
Fortune Magazine has released its "lists" for 2009:
From Time:Work-life balance. In most corporate circles, it's the sort of phrase that gives hard-charging managers the hives, bringing to mind yoga-infused, candlelit meditation sessions and — more frustratingly — rows of empty office cubicles.
So, what if we renamed work-life balance? Let's call it something more masculine and appealing, something like ... um ... Make More Money. That might lift heads off desks. A few people might show up at a meeting to discuss that new phenomenon driving the bottom line: Women, and the way we want to work, are extremely good for business.
So we need to get rid of the nutty-crunchy moral component of the work-life balance and make a business case for it. It's easy to do. In fact, a decade from now, companies will understand that hiring lots of women, and letting them work the way they want, will help them Make More Money.
From Arkansas Business:"By any standard, the CEO of Arkansas Business Publishing Group, Olivia Myers Farrell, should be on the following list, but she graciously removed herself to make room for one more notable woman business leader from the past 25 years."Read the article and discover a list of twenty-five women who have made an impact in the business world over the last twenty-five years.
From Wicked Local:"The Women’s Economic Summit will present the leading women authorities on ‘womenomics’ at Cumnock Hall, UMass Lowell on Monday, April 6. These experts will offer new insights to professional and business leaders on the increasingly powerful role of women in today’s economic world.The Women’s Economic Summit is the inspiration of an unprecedented collaboration of seven different women’s networking organizations representing over 20,000 professional and business women throughout New England. The Summit brings together renowned national and international women leaders in a unique event designed to provide focus of where women have been, where women are now, and the new realities of women in the world of tomorrow.The Women’s Economic Summit is the first of its kind, targeting an educated, influential audience of businesswomen and addressing the incredible impact of women on today’s economics. Come join us in a unique event designed to provide focus of where women have been, where we are now, and the new realities of women in the world of tomorrow. Explore the evolution of women in the business and economic worlds - from invisible - to visible - to the actual control of wealth. Chart the progress and influence women have on the world today, and illuminate the economic power of women of the future."
From Global Nation:"The Philippines has the highest percentage of women holding senior management positions at 47 percent in the world, according to the latest research from Grant Thornton International.The research revealed that women still hold less than a quarter of senior management positions in privately held businesses globally. Twenty-four percent of senior management positions are currently held by women -- a figure identical to 2007 and only a marginal improvement from 2004 when only 19 percent of senior level positions were held by women.Thirty-four percent of privately held businesses globally have no women in senior management. Russia has the highest percentage of women holding senior management positions at 42 percent, while Thailand came in third at 38 percent. (EHL)The lowest percentage continues to be in Japan where only seven percent of senior management positions are held by women. Also appearing low down the league table are Denmark (13 percent) and Belgium (12 percent).Women have become most successful in increasing their share of senior management roles in Turkey (up from 17 percent in 2007 to 29 percent in 2009) and Mexico (20 percent in 2007 to 31 percent). The biggest falls were in Brazil, where the figure fell from 42 percent in 2007 to 29 percent in 2009, and Hong Kong (falling from 35 percent in 2007 to 28 percent in 2009)."
From the Guardian:"They may not be grabbing the headlines, but a trio of British women ministers are becoming prime movers in tackling the economic crisis.Baroness Ashton, the new European trade commissioner and former Leader of the Lords, is one of an inner core tasked by European commission president José Barroso with tackling the response to the recession. She is in the front line of the growing row about protectionism as member states battle to protect their own jobs and interests.Baroness Vadera, the former investment banker turned Cabinet Office minister, is emerging as the driving force in Gordon Brown's banking reforms. And Yvette Cooper, the chief secretary to the Treasury, was last week touted as a potential contender for the Labour leadership after raising her profile through a series of down-to-earth media performances partly designed to reassure female voters. "
