APEC WeBiz 2008 is coming again during 7-12 July 2008 for 6 days. This training is e-Business Training, which is very good for our members, and very good learning experiences too. Deadline for registration: Monday 16 June 2008

1) This year the special cost for BPW members only is USD 400 instead of USD 500.
Airfare subsidy for Thailand is USD 400.-, which you will received near the end of your training.

A. Registration Due : 16th June, 2008 (Monday)

2) Scholarship for 2 Young BPW Members: In the spirit of supporting the growth of young women entrepreneurs in the APEC region, APWINC will shoulder full round-trip airfare** of two Young BPW members.

A. Application Requirements : Registration Form + 200 words essay explaining the candidate's qualification and how APEC WeBiz can help her

B. Application Deadline: 16th June, 2008 (Monday)

Please direct all inquires and concerns to the APEC Women's e-Biz Training Secretariat at apwinc@sm.ac.kr (+82-2-710-9886, 22077-7161). Or more information ..>>

** APWINC will only support round-trip airfare of most direct route economy class ticket. Due to significant cost difference within economy ticket, we strongly encourage participants to limit the options to tickets that are valid for 15days or less. Please have the airfare approved by APEC WeBiz Secretariat before purchasing the ticket.

We are pleased to notify that Istanbul Young BPW member, Seda Yakinol is accepted for Gender Matters training course of Council of Europe in Budapest. She will represent BPW Istanbul Club in this training course and she will share her experiences for upcoming training projects.

Thanks,

Best Regards,
Rooma

Young BPW Germany is preparing a Post-Congress Travel from Oct 29 – Nov 3. The travel itinerary is attached. Young BPW Germany invites you to join this great trip. For further details, please contact Nadine E. Müller on young-bpw@bpw-germany.de!

Women are continuing to drive employment growth in Europe , but remain disadvantaged in the labour market in relation to men, says a report adopted by the European Commission today. Despite higher educational attainment, women continue to be employed less and paid less than men. The 2008 report on Equality between women and men will be transmitted to EU leaders at the Spring Summit on 8-9 March.

"Our strategy for growth and jobs has been successful in creating more jobs for women in the EU," said Equal Opportunities Commissioner Vladimír Špidla. "But ongoing challenges like the pay gap, labour market segregation, and work/life balance mean we still have some way to go to make those jobs 'better' jobs too. Overall, despite their better educational attainment, women's careers are shorter, slower and less well-paid: it is clear that we need to do more to make full use of the productive potential of the workforce."

The Commission report highlights that the quantitative progress of women in the labour market has not yet been matched in qualitative terms. On the one hand, more than 7.5 out of the 12 million new jobs created in the EU since 2000 have been taken by women. Their employment rate now stands at 57.2%, or 3.5 points above its 2000 level, compared with a less than one point rise in the rate of male employment over the same period. Similarly, the rise in the rate of employment of women over the age of 55 has been significantly faster than that of men, and now stands at 34.8%, i.e. a 7.4 point increase on 2000.

On the other hand, several aspects of the quality of women's work remain problematic. Despite the fact that women represent 59% of university graduates and have a better educational attainment, their employment rate remains lower than men's (by 14.4 points) and they continue to earn on average 15% less than men for every hour worked[1].

Women also face greater difficulties in reaching decision-making positions. The presence of female managers in companies is progressing very slowly and stands at only 33%. Work/life balance is one area where major differences persist between women and men. The employment rate of women with young children is only 62.4%, compared with 91.4% for men with children. And women have a disproportionately high recourse to part-time work (32.9%) compared with men (7.7%), underlining the imbalance between men and women in the use of time.

The report underlines that more efforts need to be made to create more and better jobs. The creation of more jobs must go hand in hand with an improvement in quality. Quality jobs attract workers and allow them to fully exploit their productive potential and contribute to improving the quality of life in society as a whole. Equality between women and men is an essential quality component of work, says the report. Special attention should also be given to improving both the supply and quality of services to help people balance professional and private life, in order to allow men and women with dependants to (re-)enter and stay in the labour market.

2008 Report on equality between women and men:

http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/gender_equality/news/index_en.html

Passengers aboard one of Mexico City's new women-only buses.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Groping and verbal harassment is an exasperating reality for women using public transportation in this sprawling capital, where 22 million passengers cram onto subways and buses each day. Some men treat women so badly that the subway system has long had ladies-only cars during rush hour, with police segregating the sexes on the platforms. But that hasn't helped women forced to rely on packed buses, by far the city's most-used form of public transportation — until this week.

Acting on complaints from women's groups, the city rolled out "ladies only" buses, complete with pink signs in the windshields to wave off the men. As word spreads about the buses, the women seem delighted, while some men forced to wait a few minutes longer have shown their anger. Still others have stumbled on board despite the signs, much to their embarrassment. On Thursday, passengers on one of the female-only buses spent most of their trip down the capital's tree-lined Reforma Avenue chatting or putting on makeup, instead of fighting off unwanted male attention.

When a man mistakenly climbed aboard, the women immediately began teasing him and shouting that he should read the "ladies only" sign. "He's a gentleman! He should get off," shouted Yolanda Altamirano, a 64-year-old office janitor. The man blushed and mumbled an apology, then ignored the taunts until he got off several stops later. "Now he knows how women feel," Altamirano said, unapologetic for giving him a hard time.

Mexico City's female-only buses run along three busy routes throughout the day for now, but the city plans to add them to 15 other routes by April, said Ariadna Montiel, who directs the public bus system. "Women were asking for this service because of the sexual harassment, especially groping and leering," Montiel said.

And while some men have complained that they have to wait longer for a bus, she said the women are thrilled: "The women are really happy and we have been getting a lot of e-mail and letters from them." Juliana Romero, a 49-year-old secretary, said not riding with men is "fantastic." "When the bus is packed, there will inevitably be a lecherous man who will bother you," she said.

Women-only buses or subways have been rolling for years in India, Brazil, Japan and other countries. Mexico City finally took the action as part of a growing responsiveness to complaints about discrimination against women, Montiel said. While only seven female public bus users complained last year, she said the real number of offenses was probably much higher because women rarely protest openly against sexual harassment. Some women, like Maria Elena Sanchez, have learned to take matters into their own hands. A 47-year-old office messenger who uses public transportation all day, said she carries a sewing pin for protection.

"I always carry the pin so I can defend myself from abusive men," she said — adding that she's had to use it twice this month alone. Traveling only with women, she said, makes her feel more secure and allows her to relax a bit on the way to work. "I don't think I will use the pin on these buses," she said, giggling.

What do you think on that separation of the societies daily live? Like it or not? Do you share these experiences or would you prefer other solutions?

South America & Spanish Speaking Countries of the Caribbean

Name: Ana Rosa Garcia De Alba Y Darwich
Country: Mexico

Email: anarosa16@hotmail.com