Dear friends and allies,

I thought I would share a few things that have captured my attention in the last couple weeks in case any of you are sitting around in front of a cozy fire thisweekendlooking for a distraction from newly-acquired novels and weighty periodicals.

ApieceinThe Wilson Quarterlyfrom early December on the impact of governmental gender quotas on the lives of girls in India caught my eye.

An interestingstoryinThe New York Timesabout a new "ambitious policy agenda" for GOP women in Congress grew out of the Women2Women program run by the Republican Main Street Partnership. I hope to connect with the women mentioned in this piece early in 2016.

Newresearchfrom Harvard University on Teen Girls and Leadership Biases speaks to the serious cultural barriers that must be eliminated in order for girls and young women to fully realize their potential.

ThisHuffPost Womenarticle highlights a new report on Global Gender Equality by the World Economic Forum and features Shauna Shames, assistant professor of political science at Rutgers-Camden University. The article and report confirm the obstacles women face world-wide though it uses the Inter-Parliamentary Union's unfounded ranking system that continues to confuse users of their site.Readmyblogto understand why the U.S. ranks behind 95 nations in the percentage of women's representation - not 72nd as this piece sloppily suggests.

I have not watched thisTED talkby Michael Kimmel but the title "Why gender equality is good for everyone - men included" certainly seems to be on topic!

And this terrificinterviewwith the phenomenal Laura Liswood who makes the case for women's empowerment at the World Economic Forum. You can find more interviews with Laura that discuss the interplay between political, cultural, and economic power on thiswebsite

Feminist.com- which celebrated its 20th anniversary in December - features a wide array of resources and opportunities for engagement - as well as Marianne Schnall's interviews with a number of fabulous women.

I have not watched thisTED talkby Michael Kimmel but the title "Why gender equality is good for everyone - men included" certainly seems to be on topic!

If you are inNYC on January 20th please join us for a lively discussionabout new strategies to elect more women faster hosted by Brittany Stalsburg and Bernard Whitman of Whitman Insight Strategies. The event is free of charge but space is limited - please let me know if you and/or friends & colleagues would like to attend!

I will continue to post updates weekly - please email me atcynthia@representation2020.comwith anything you'd like to share but let's also find new ways to work together, share information, and build a transformative movement in 2016 and beyond.

All the best for the remaining hours of 2015,

Cynthia

P.S. If you are looking for one more gift for your near and dear check out this newAppthat "makes your phone buzz when you approach places where women made history" - I assume that means it will be buzzing on every corner of this planet!?