Europe’s Forced-Labour Guidance Needs Workers, Not Audits, at the Centre
New EU implementation guidance prepares companies and authorities for a 2027 ban on products made with forced labour. Human Rights Watch says the framework is a positive step but still needs stronger worker participation, remedy and transparency.
Bangladeshi Women Spend 5.9 Hours a Day on Unpaid Care. That Is a Labour-Market Policy Problem
Bangladesh’s Time Use Survey says women spend 5.9 hours daily on unpaid care and household work, compared with 0.8 hours for men. A new Dhaka dialogue is calling for care to be recognised, reduced and redistributed. If Bangladesh wants more women earning, childcare infrastructure is economic infrastructure.
Paisano Marma Started With Tk500. Four Months Later, Her Food Business Had Sold More Than Tk10,000
Indigenous women in Khagrachhari are moving from irregular day labour into small businesses through training, market links and storage facilities. Paisano Marma’s Tk500 start shows why the crucial ingredient is not training alone—it is giving women somewhere to sell afterwards.
US Inflation Rose in August, Squeezing Budgets Built Around Care
US consumer prices rose 0.4% in August and 3.4% over 12 months, with energy contributing heavily. The headline is gender-neutral, but households led by women and workers carrying unpaid care often have the least room to absorb volatile essentials.
BRICS Women Want Trade Networks That Move Beyond Ceremonial Inclusion
Women business leaders at the BRICS Business Forum called for direct company-to-company links, finance and market access across member states. The practical test is whether summit language produces contracts for women-led firms rather than another parallel network without purchasing power.
Amazon Pregnancy Lawsuit Puts Everyday Workplace Adjustments on Trial
Four former US warehouse workers accuse Amazon of denying pregnancy accommodations and punishing medically necessary absences. Amazon disputes the claims; the proposed class action will test whether a federal right enacted in 2022 changes conditions for hourly workers in practice.
Six Weeks for Fathers Could Give Mothers More Room to Recover and Stay Employed
A campaign backed by 105 UK Labour MPs seeks six weeks of paternity leave paid at 90% of earnings. Better leave for partners is also women’s economic policy because it can redistribute early care, support maternal recovery and weaken the assumption that mothers alone step back from work.
BRDB Approves Tk40.2 Lakh for 23 Rural Women Entrepreneurs. Now the Businesses Need to Grow
A new Bangladesh Rural Development Board approval memo lists 23 women in six upazilas receiving Tk40.2 lakh in entrepreneur loans for activities ranging from livestock to small retail. The important next metric is not money approved—it is businesses surviving and generating income.
Bangladesh’s Banks Are Hiring More Women Again. Why Are So Few Reaching the Top?
Bangladesh’s banks added 910 women employees in the first half of 2026. But women still make up just 16.5% of the banking workforce—and only around one in ten senior-level employees. New central bank data suggest that hiring women is only part of the challenge.
Spain’s Football Fertility Benefit Expands Choice—but Cannot Replace Maternity Rights
Spain’s football federation will support egg freezing and assisted reproduction for eligible players and referees through 2029. The scheme may help athletes plan families, but critics warn that reproductive technology must remain voluntary and accompany strong protection during pregnancy and return to play.
New Zealand’s Public-Service Walkout Puts Pay and Service Cuts Into the Election
Nearly 10,000 public servants stopped work for several hours after rejecting wage offers they say fall behind living costs. Because women are heavily represented in public and community services, the dispute links household pay with the capacity of government systems people rely on.
Victoria’s Work-From-Home Bill Moves Toward a Decisive Vote
Australia’s Victoria state is advancing a statutory right to work remotely for up to two days where reasonable, after delaying commencement and revising costs for employers. The design could help caregivers while preserving a divide between remote-capable and frontline work.
Next’s Equal-Pay Appeal Resets a Major Test for Women in Retail
Britain’s Employment Appeal Tribunal accepted market recruitment pressures as justification for higher basic pay in male-dominated warehouses than in female-dominated stores. Other premium-pay claims survived, and the workers plan a further appeal
Heidi O’Neill Will Take Over Lululemon With Its Core Women’s Business Sliding
Incoming chief executive Heidi O’Neill starts on 8 September after Lululemon cut its forecast and reported a sharp decline in leggings sales. Her challenge is not symbolic representation but rebuilding product trust without making workers or suppliers absorb the cost.
Women Make Up More Than Half of Bangladesh’s Garment Workforce. Why Aren’t More Leading the Unions?
Bangladesh’s labour movement is calling for more women in trade-union leadership. With women making up about 54% of the garment workforce, the question is no longer simply whether women work—it is whether they have an equal voice when wages, safety and workplace rights are negotiated.
America Added 162,000 Jobs, but the Headline Conceals Where Women Work
US hiring rebounded in August and adult women’s unemployment stood at 3.5%. The sector data show gains in restaurants and local education alongside information-industry losses—making job quality and who received the work as important as the total.
Liz Oyer’s Lawsuit Tests Whether Professional Judgment Can Survive Political Pressure
Former US pardon attorney Liz Oyer says she was fired after refusing to recommend restoring Mel Gibson’s gun rights. The Justice Department disputes that account; the lawsuit turns a personnel conflict into a test of evidence, public safety and civil-service independence.
Bangladesh’s Women Have Saved Seeds for Generations. Could Orange Bonds Help Them Build Businesses?
More than 3,000 Bangladeshi women farmers have established community seed enterprises and seed banks through IRRI-supported programmes, but many remain too small to scale. A new analysis asks whether gender-focused Orange Bond financing could help women-led seed businesses access the working capital they need.
Australia’s Women Start Businesses—Then Hit a ‘Scaling Cliff’
A new national index says women lead 42% of sole-trader businesses but only 7% of large companies. The gap shifts the policy question from starting firms to gaining the capital, customers and networks required to grow them.
Women’s Football Moved 683 Players—But Recorded Fees Reveal a Thin Market
A database covering six leading leagues records hundreds of player moves but only £1.9 million in known fees. The difference between mobility and disclosed financial value shows how little of the women’s transfer economy remains publicly visible.
Jordan Has More Than 30 Women’s Employment Initiatives—But Few Directly Change Participation
Jordan is developing a unified mechanism to coordinate programmes intended to bring more women into paid work. Mapping found substantial activity but weak connections between many initiatives and the national participation target.
Abu Dhabi Issued 3,058 New Business Licences to Emirati Women—Now Track Survival
New economic licences issued to Emirati women rose 6.4% in the first half of 2026. Registration is a useful sign of participation, but it does not show whether those businesses obtain capital, revenue or long-term stability.
When the Farm Math Failed, Hallie Shoffner Took Rural Debt Into Politics
The Arkansas farmer liquidated equipment after her family operation became financially untenable and is now running for the US Senate. Her campaign turns an individual loss into a debate about credit, commodity prices and who can survive in agriculture.
Karoline Leavitt’s Departure Puts Care Demands Inside the Story of a Powerful Job
The youngest White House press secretary in US history left after returning from maternity leave, saying the role’s demands were incompatible with being present for her family. Her decision highlights a structural problem extending far beyond politics.
New York Childcare Providers Say Public Expansion Is Being Financed From Their Own Pockets
Providers preparing to open free childcare classrooms say advances have been delayed, forcing some to use savings or credit. The dispute illustrates how public care programmes can transfer financial risk to the women and small organisations delivering them.
In Jashore, Small Livelihood Grants Put Economic Tools Directly in Women’s Hands
A local support programme in Jashore has provided sewing machines to economically disadvantaged women from ethnic-minority communities, while women entrepreneurs received agricultural processing equipment and students gained scholarships and bicycles—small interventions aimed at expanding both income and education opportunities.
As Laldia Terminal Breaks Ground, Will Bangladesh Deliver on Its Promise of Port Jobs for Women?
Bangladesh’s $550 million Laldia Container Terminal is moving into construction with an earlier government promise to ensure women’s active participation. As one of the country’s biggest new logistics investments takes shape, the question is whether that commitment will translate into measurable jobs, training and career pathways for women.
Bangladesh’s Childcare Shortage Could Become a New Business Opportunity for Women
A proposal for professionally trained home-based childcare providers could address two problems at once: mothers leaving paid work because they cannot find affordable care and women needing viable pathways into entrepreneurship.
New Zealand’s Gender Pay Gap Edges Up After Last Year’s Record Low
Women’s median hourly earnings were 5.3% below men’s in the June quarter, compared with 5.2% a year earlier. The small change is a reminder that a national average can stall while larger gaps remain hidden by occupation and ethnicity.
Registration Has Made Uzbekistan’s Domestic Workers Visible—Not Fully Protected
More than 260,000 people have registered as self-employed domestic-service workers in Uzbekistan, and about 91% are women. Legal recognition is important, but self-employment can still leave workers without wages, leave and social protection guaranteed to employees.
Registration Has Made Uzbekistan’s Domestic Workers Visible—Not Fully Protected
More than 260,000 people have registered as self-employed domestic-service workers in Uzbekistan, and about 91% are women. Legal recognition is important, but self-employment can still leave workers without wages, leave and social protection guaranteed to employees.
When Women Don’t Control Land, Are They More Vulnerable to Violence?
A new Dhaka discussion has put women’s land rights and violence back in the spotlight. The evidence shows a stark ownership gap: only a small minority of rural women have secure rights over agricultural land. But the relationship between landlessness, economic dependence and violence needs more careful attention than a headline statistic can provide.
New Social Protection Push Could Matter for Thousands of Bangladesh’s Women Garment Workers
BGMEA has brought more than 50 garment factories into an orientation on unemployment protection and digital labour records, highlighting a system that can provide temporary cash support to workers facing factory closure, accidents or maternity leave—an important safety net in a sector where women make up a large share of the workforce.
Nazneen Ahmed to Lead CPD as Fahmida Khatun Moves to Distinguished Fellow Role
Development economist Dr Nazneen Ahmed will become Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue on September 1, succeeding Dr Fahmida Khatun in a leadership transition that places two of Bangladesh’s prominent women economists at the centre of one of the country’s leading policy institutions.
Philippines’ IT-BPM Association Names Its First Woman Chief
Celeste Ilagan will lead one of the Philippines’ most economically important industry groups as artificial intelligence transforms outsourcing work. Her appointment turns representation into a substantive labour-policy responsibility.
Women-Led Capital F Closes $17 Million Fund for the ‘Female Economy’
Capital F says it will invest in women’s health, digital commerce and safer technology. The fund is notable both for what it backs and for who controls its investment decisions.
Canada Launches National Study of Menopause’s Health and Economic Effects
The Can-RISE study is recruiting participants to examine menopause across healthcare, work, caregiving and daily life. Its value will depend on reaching people routinely excluded from women’s-health research.
Bangladesh Wants to Train 50,100 Caregivers for Jobs at Home and Abroad
A proposed Tk 834 crore government programme aims to train thousands of young people for the growing care economy in Japan, South Korea, Europe, the Middle East and Bangladesh. For women, it could turn work that is often unpaid and invisible into a recognised profession — but training will need to lead to safe, fairly paid jobs.
Women Entrepreneurs Are Still Receiving Too Little of Bangladesh’s SME Financing
A Tangail entrepreneur’s struggle to finance new machinery illustrates a much larger problem: women now receive only 7.28% of Bangladesh’s SME lending despite a policy target of 15%.
Record Number of Women CEOs Still Amounts to Only 34 Global 500 Companies
Women now lead a record 34 Fortune Global 500 corporations, but that represents less than 7% of the list and none of its 30 largest businesses.
Australian Trainee Programme Shows a Route From Apprenticeship to Executive Leadership HOLD — confirm application deadline and roles through Power and Water Corporation or GTNT.
Eleven paid trainee and apprenticeship positions are being promoted through a programme highlighting the career of executive Belinda Small.
London Women Founders Pass £100 Million in Government-Backed Startup Loans
Nearly 10,000 female-founded businesses in London have reportedly received more than 10,800 loans through the British Business Bank programme.
Women’s Flag Football Moves Closer to NCAA Championship Status
More than 120 US colleges are expected to field teams as women’s flag football advances toward possible national championship recognition.
New Women Entrepreneurs Association Leadership Plans Expansion Beyond Bangladesh’s Major Cities
Newly elected WEA president Yasmeen Ahmed says the organisation will focus on young entrepreneurs, skills, business networks and women-led businesses outside Bangladesh’s major urban centres.
Bangladesh’s Women Grow the Food. Why Can’t They Control the Market?
Rural women are deeply involved in planting, harvesting, livestock and food processing across Bangladesh. But when crops reach the market, men are still more likely to negotiate with buyers, control major investments and decide where the money goes.
Colgate India’s Prabha Narasimhan Moves Into Asia-Pacific Marketing Leadership HOLD — verify the transition through the company’s exchange filing.
Narasimhan is leaving Colgate-Palmolive India’s CEO position for a regional executive role, illustrating both women’s mobility and continuing scarcity in corporate leadership.
US Open Raises Prize Fund to $108 Million as Players Push for Revenue Sharing
Equal prize money remains a cornerstone of Grand Slam tennis, but leading women and men say players should receive a larger share of tournament revenue.
More Than 100 Female Workers Reportedly Fall Ill at Adamjee EPZ Factory
The cause remains unconfirmed after workers at Universal Menswear in Narayanganj became sick one after another. A BEPZA official initially suggested heatstroke, raising wider questions about occupational health and heat protection for women in Bangladesh’s garment sector.
Women-Founded SnerpaPower Secures €3.4 Million for European Expansion
The Icelandic deep-tech company is scaling software that helps energy-intensive industries adjust electricity use and respond to changing grids.
Woman-Led Oshen Raises $5 Million to Scale Ocean Robots
The Plymouth startup is expanding fleets of small autonomous vessels used for weather, environmental and maritime-security data.
Maracanã Will Open and Close the 2027 Women’s World Cup
Hosting the opening match and final at Brazil’s most famous stadium gives women’s football an important place in South America’s sporting history.
Cross-Border Business Programme Backs Six Mexican Women in Texas HOLD — verify results with the Mexican Consulate and MileOne.
Six Mexican women in Laredo completed free entrepreneurship training, with three receiving small awards to develop their businesses.
Women’s College Sports Seek Philanthropic Protection From Commercial Pressure
Editor’s summary: As US college athletics becomes more commercially driven, advocates are turning to philanthropy to protect women’s and lower-revenue sports.