(Copyright: Geoffrey Buta)

Women in Ghana support their families and contribute to society in many different ways. Ghanaian photographer Geoffrey Buta has documented their work.

Copyright: Fotolia/Creativa

Despite being better educated, women in the region face a host of key issues such as employment discrimination, gender pay gap and a deeply entrenched cultural bias against working women, says MasterCard’s Georgette Tan.

In several countries, including the US, there is an urgent need for safe, affordable childcare along with an analysis of the true social cost of not providing quality childcare. (Copyright: WFS)

On a recent visit to Sweden, I was struck by something having nothing to do with hair color, bike paths or the high cost of living.  It had to do with who takes care of the kids. I saw so many dads pushing strollers, holding toddlers on their shoulders, or talking to kids on their way to school that it stopped me short. The delight of observing male parenting led me to thoughts of other forms of child care, something that many countries can be proud of. Sadly, America is not among them.

(Copyright: Fotolia/Kaarsten)

Every year Forbes released a list of the top moneymaking jobs for women. The list for 2015 has just been released.

Out of over 1,000 applicants, just 155 finally managed to clear all the rounds of selection. A vigorous training has prepared them to do their job with confidence. (Credit: Abha Sharma\WFS)

Jaipur (Women’s Feature Service) – “Dousing the hungry flames is certainly not an easy task. It’s a test of one’s physical strength as well as courage and agility. But if one is determined, one can overcome any risks however daunting they may look,” says Sita Khatik, an officer with the fire department in the desert state of Rajasthan, India. Stationed in Jaipur, the state capital, she is one of the 155 female fire fighters recruited by the state government in March this year. Six from this first batch are serving in the city at present and they are simple, all smiles and, yes, armed with that tremendously daring spirit that makes them perfect of the job.

“picture-alliance/AP Photo/Saurabh Das”

Here’s a round-up of women’s news that made it to the headlines. Did we miss
something? Let us know through your comments.

A snapshot of some of the photographs taken by girls enrolled in the feminist leadership programme.

Lucknow (Women’s Feature Service) – Nasreen, 32, does not have a second name. A few years ago she had no income either. All that this purdah-clad mother-of-four had was a little experience in stitching. Like countless other Muslim women from conservative homes in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Nasreen, too, was forbidden to step out of her home. Despite living in crushing poverty she was not allowed to look for work to chip in and make things better. For a long time she struggled on but when it became a matter of life and death, Nasreen decided to take some tough decisions. “I decided to defy everyone in my family and grabbed the first job that was offered to me,” she says.