Trailblazing Women Fighting The Good Fight

female trailblazers, feminism, feminist movement, gender pay gap, Jill Abramson, Member of European Parliament

1. Fired for questioning the gender pay gap?

Last week The New York Times dismissed their first female executive editor under tense circumstances. It has been suggested that Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr chose to dismiss Jill Abramson due to her “polarising” and “pushy” management style. However, information has been leaked that suggests that her dismissal was due to her questioning of the gender pay gap. Upon discovering that her pay and pension benefits were less than that of one of her male deputies, and considerably less than that of her predecessor, Bill Keller, Abramson questioned her superiors. While the New York Times has dismissed the allegations, it is believed that this incident was a key reason Abramson was fired in such a swift and brutal manner.

2. Female entrepreneurs who have shaped our world

We’re often lead to believe that women just aren’t as good at building businesses as men. Of course, all of us here at Woman.com.au and our well informed readers are far to enlightened about women’s strengths and entrepreneurial skills to believe that! However, if you’re having an off day it can be easy to have your doubts, so we thought we’d remind you of some of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs who just happen to be women. Elizabeth Arden lead one of the world’s first truly global brands to success in 1922 and was the first woman to grace the cover of Time Magazine. Margaret Rudkin sold her famous bakehouse business, Pepperidge Farm, to Campbell Soup for over $28 million in 1961 and became the first woman to serve on their board of directors. Giuliana Benetton established the Benetton Group in 1965, by selling her clothing from the back of her brother’s bike. The success of the brand commonly known as the United Colors of Benetton has lead to her personal worth exceeding $2billion.

3. Fighting the feminist fight in the EU

Soraya Post is expected to be elected as the first Member of European Parliament (MEP) representing a feminist political party. While predictions indicate that female representatives will continue to make up only one third of the members serving in European parliament, feminists across Europe are holding their breaths in delight. As a representative for the Swedish Feminist Initiative, Post’s election will bring a strong voice to the crusade for gender equality across the European Union. Post’s popularity is, of course, facing a considerable amount of backlash from more conservative, right-wing politicians, but it seems nothing can stop the campaign for her election as women’s rights are featuring prominently in the election.