women leaders

Former US representative Gabrielle Giffords — still recovering from a shooting three years ago — said Thursday that she might consider a return to political office.

The Arizona Democrat kept the door open when asked about such a possibility, saying ‘‘well, a little later’’ and ‘‘maybe’’ during an interview on NBC’s ‘‘Today’’ show.

The interview was aired a day after ceremonies in Tucson to remember the six people killed and 13 injured in the Jan. 8, 2011, shooting that occurred as Giffords met with constituents outside a grocery store.

“Our young women are forming a new era in female history,” wrote Massachusetts feminist Judith Sargent Murray excitedly. “The Rights of Women begin to be understood; we seem, at length, determined to do justice.” The year was 1798. It would be two hundred and fourteen years until her home state would elect its first female senator, Elizabeth Warren. This year, it might get its first elected female governor, likely Democratic nominee Martha Coakley.

Recently, women leaders from around the world gathered in Brussels to participate in the inaugural Women in Parliaments (WIP) Global Forum. I was honored to join them.

The two most powerful women in Bangladesh — Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition leader, Bangladesh National Party chairperson Khaleda Zia — have made international headlines this month as elections in the troubled nation resulted in violence.

Despite this, some Westerners are surprised to learn that Bengali women have vibrant and influential leadership roles that are helping shape the nation’s future. It’s a predominantly Islamic nation with constant calls to prayer and laws restricting the sale of alcohol.

Dec. 5 marked the 79th anniversary of the day when Turkish women got the right to vote and be elected. But because of the country’s messy domestic and foreign political agenda, this big gain of Turkish women was not celebrated as it deserves to be.

I’m often surprised when young ambitious women ask me how to find a mentor.  It’s something that I think most professional women would not find challenging. Yet, this question persists.

We invite you to read the full article published January 6, 2014

As the world celebrates 100 years of women suffrage, Indian women continue to fight for things that matter.

2013 was a turning point for women in India as the brutal gang rape of Nirbhaya and the huge protests in the aftermath placed the issue of violence against women at the heart of public discourse in the country.

As we step into 2014, it is crucial to reflect as to why as a society we are still struggling to ensure something as basic as safety for one half of its population.