In this week’s Wednesday 5: women who did not “make it” until they were 40; seven women who could run for president; Fadumo Dayib, who could be Somalia’s first female presidential candidate; how women can take charge of their retirement; and a beautiful ode to our women astronomers.
1.
6 Iconic Women Who Had Not Made It By 40
Those “25 under 25” and “30 under 30” success lists are nice, but we admit we’ve had our fill of them. What is the message, anyway? That success is truly remarkable when it happens to someone under 40? We think not. That’s why we loved seeing this list from Daily Worth, which profiles “6 Iconic Women Who Had NOT Made It By 40.” And do you want to know who those “hadn’t made it” women are? Well, they include wedding gown designer Vera Wang, Julia Child, Toni Morrison, and Lucille Ball.
2.
7 Women Who Could Run for President
Senator Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota)
Here’s the kind of list we like to indulge in, although we think this list could be much longer than 7. Anyway, the folks at Latina magazine have selected 7 candidates so viable that they could run for president—Elizabeth Warren, Condoleezza Rice, Kirsten Gillibrand, Susanna Martinez, Amy Klobuchar, Kelly Ayotte, and Cathy McNorris Rodgers. As for the names you don’t recognize just yet, that’s precisely why these lists are important. And P.S.: All of these women are over 40!
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3.
Fadumo Dayib Could Be Somalia’s First Female Presidential Candidate
Fadumo Dayib (Photo via Twitter)
Speaking of first female presidents, we’re encouraged and moved by the story of Fadumo Dayib, who is running for president in Somalia in 2016—the first democratic elections to be held in the country since 1967. Here’s just a snapshot of what Marie Claire tells us about Dayib:
Despite the disadvantages she faced early on in life, her résumé boasts an impressive list of credentials: After receiving several degrees in international public health, Dayib is currently a MC/MPA Mason fellow at Harvard and a doctoral candidate with a focus on women, peace, and security at the University of Helsinki. She also has over a decade of experience working for the UN. An especially notable feat, considering that Dayib didn’t become fully literate until about the age of 14.
4.
Saving for Retirement: How Women Can Take Charge
There are never too many of these lists—teaching women about the ways they can be prepared for retirement and financially independent. After we learn about the sobering realities of how women continue to earn less than men and have less in lifetime savings, this Forbes article offers advice on how to save more, take advantage of spousal benefits, invest more, and stay on top of your investments.
5.
A Beautiful Ode to Our Women Astronomers
Click here to purchase on Amazon.com. Proceeds from your purchase help fund Women’s Voices‘ mission.
In this week’s dose of inspiration, we share with you this beautiful new children’s (and adult) book: Bright Sky, Starry City, by
take[s] on . . . the expanding horizons for women in astronomy, the modern constrictions of light pollution—with great warmth and wonderment for the eternal allure of communing with the cosmos, of feeling our tininess and the enormity of life all at once, by the simple act of looking out into the glimmering grandeur of space.
Pick a copy up for all the little girl dreamers in your life, and all the grown dreamers as well.
Last month I went to Ojai and visited the potter/artists Beatrice Woods’ house & museum. She did not do her best work until she was in her 80s, so there is hope for all of us who relate starters.