Aussie Moya Dodd takes an executive seat at FIFA

‘Feminism’ is the word of the week, as World Wide Women reports on feminists fighting Facebook, wedding-planning with a queer-eye and women finally getting their foot in the door at FIFA!

1. Chicks were born to give you FIFA

This week the director of the Football Federation of Australia and vice president of the Asian Football Confederation, Moya Dodd, was nominated as a member of the executive committee of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Dodd was one of three women nominated to join the committee in what was a landmark move for the organisation, which had never before had women on the board. However, while many of us are celebrating a big step for women in sport, sexist gaffes have already been made by FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who patronised female FIFA fans by asking, ‘Are there ladies in the room? Say something! You are always speaking at home, now you can speak here.’ To read more about the complexity of FIFA’s approach to female committee membership, check out this article by Sam Squiers.

2. Young, fabulous and self-employed

Small business expert Erica Nicole seems to have it all in the bag. Having had success in digital media, motivational speaking, and the development of her own magazine and online enterprise Young, Fabulous and Self-Employed, Nicole has proven that innovative thinking and self-confidence is the key to success. Her advice for female entrepreneurs? “It’s lonely at the top, so bring others with you!” For more on how she built her business, check out Nicole’s interview with Forbes here.

3. Wedding dress-suit

Everyone wants to look their best on their wedding day, and men everywhere can tell you that a standard business suit just won’t cut it. However, with the legalisation of gay marriage occurring in a number of countries, and with alternative wedding fashion on the rise, where does a woman go to find an appropriate suit for her wedding day? Seeing the hole in the market Bernadette Coveney Smith decided it was time to give everyone the option of finding a suave suit for their special day by starting her own brand, Fourteen. Have a look at some of the alternative bridal wear her brand has designed and read up on where she found the inspiration for her business here.

4. Facebook caves to feminist action

A few weeks ago World Wide Women posted an article about Laura Bates, the creator of the Everyday Sexism Project. Bates has again made the news thanks to her persistent campaigning, this time against hate speech directed at women on Facebook. After coming across a page titled “Drop kicking sluts in the teeth”, Bates requested the page be removed by Facebook administration. When her request was denied, she took matters further by contacting all the companies whose advertisements appeared on the page, including the beauty company Dove. Her appeal for help was successful and advertisers used their financial weight to back her fight against the violent Facebook page. Read more about her efforts here and then check out Facebook’s response to the pressure here.

5 . The F-word

The F-word we’re talking about is of course feminism! There is no point denying that there has been a feminist revival going on, and we can relate much of the ground being made for young, digital-savvy women working towards equality. This week, The Guardian posted a run-down of some of the biggest names in online activism today, endorsing the hard work of women like Yasmeen Hassan, the director of Equality Now and one of the key backers of the Chime for a Change concert. Read up on other women making waves in the fight for gender equality here.