Close Europe's Gender Gap. [The Japan Times, Japan] Last spring, The Economist trumpeted "womanpower" as the driving force for the world economy. But if Europe's economy is to become more competitive and innovative, it is not enough that women enter the labor market in droves. To reap the full fruits of women's talents, they must be in more top jobs, too, both in the public and private sector. Women in Western Europe have long since bridged the education gap with their male peers. Women not only outnumber men at universities; they also outperform them, most notably in math, physics, and information science. But female students' academic achievements have not increased women's presence in top jobs. In Europe, the% of women on corporate boards remains in single digits, as is true of the top ranks of government and academia. While in the United States almost one out of five corporate officers are women, in mainland Europe the female to male ratio on company boards is one to 20 or worse. The situation is only slightly better in science. One of every 10 professors in Europe is a woman. In the U.S., the ratio is -- once again -- more favorable to women, with more than 20% of professors at American universities being female. Europe cannot afford to waste valuable human capital at a time when China and India are on the rise and its own population is aging. The first baby boomers have reached retirement age, and the labor force will soon be shrinking in most parts of Europe. To cover the costs of aging and maintain its position as an economic power, Europe must increase overall labor participation considerably.

£10 Million To Boost Women In Work. [FEnews.co.uk, UK] A new £10 million initiative has been introduced to encourage women to consider careers in traditionally “male dominated” professions. Women from many different backgrounds and of all ages will have the opportunity to test out new recruitment and career options that have previously been considered the preserve of men. Three Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) are leading the initiative as part of the Government’s Action Plan implementing the Women & Work Commission recommendations. The overall aim of the two-year scheme is to help up to 10,000 women find new careers or further their careers in sectors where women are under-represented at present. Secretary of State for Education & Skills, Alan Johnson, said, “I am delighted to announce that the following Sector Skills Councils – Asset Skills, Automotive Skills and SEMTA – will be taking forward this initiative in response to the Women & Work Commission report ‘Shaping a Fairer Future’”.

The RCM Tackles Female Genital Mutilation. [Politics.co.uk, UK] The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) does not shy away from tacking difficult subjects—even on Valentine’s Day—as it hosts an event on the sensitive subject of female genital mutilation (FGM). One of the foremost FGM experts in the UK, midwife Comfort Momoh, will be leading the seminar exploring the impact female circumcision has on the childbirth experience for the millions of women around the world who undergo this practice. FGM is defined by the World Health Organization as the range of procedures that involve the partial or complete removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs whether for cultural or any other non-therapeutic reason. The RCM has organized the seminar at its London headquarters as part of its commitment to ensure midwives keep abreast of all contemporary themes relevant to childbirth. The College’s Education Advisor Gail Johnson said, “Midwives cannot ignore the issues surrounding FGM and seminars like this will keep challenging topics high on the midwives agenda.”

More Women Turn to Male Escorts for Sex. [United Press International] Providing sexual services for women is a growing business in Britain, a television station reports. One 30-year-old professional woman told Sky News she paid a male escort 110 pounds ($200) for an hour of sex. "I wanted just a no-strings thing, something for me. A treat for myself," she said. "Without the emotional commitment it made the physical act a lot better. I was in control and knew exactly where I stood." Becky Adams, owner of an escort service, said many of her female clients see sex as a "commodity."

London Fashion Week Organizers Will Not Ban Ultra-Thin Models. [The Associated Press] Organizers of Britain's Fashion Week refused to explicitly ban ultra-thin runway models, although event organizers insisted that no size-zero women would be used in this week's shows. The British Fashion Council, a consortium of major fashion retailers and publishers that oversees London's show, formed a task force to devise strategies to promote health and well-being among young women. The council's action sidesteps bans on the ultra-thin models that have been enacted at shows in Milan and Madrid. "I think the general consensus was that the girls on the catwalk were looking healthy," said Caroline Rush, the council's spokeswoman. London's council recommended that fashion houses use only healthy-looking models aged 16 and over — and said that such recommendations were being respected.

I Have Loved Many Women Discreetly, Confesses Chirac. [Times Online, UK] Three months away from his expected retirement, President Chirac has for the first time confirmed his appetite for extraconjugal affairs, saying that he loved many women in his lifetime “as discreetly as possible”. The 74-year-old French President offered a glimpse of his busy love life in a new book in which he reviews his twelve-year presidency and four decades as a senior politician. He also talked of the chronic mental illness of Laurence, his 48-year-old daughter, which he called “the drama of my life”. Like many French politicians, Mr. Chirac has enjoyed a reputation as a Don Juan character. The late François Mitterrand, his predecessor, revealed an illegitimate daughter and secret second household before he left office in 1995. “I didn’t hate women, but I didn’t overdo it,” Mr. Chirac told Pierre Péan, who interviewed him for his book L’Inconnu de l’Elysée (The Stranger at the Elysée).

Gaffes Put French Female Candidate's Bid to Make History in Doubt. [Chicago Tribune] After she won her party's primary with impressive ease, Segolene Royal seemed ideally positioned to become the French Republic's first female president. But now that the real campaign has started, Royal, the Socialist Party candidate, has been a bit of a bumbler. A string of gaffes has raised questions about her competence. Less than a month ago, several polls had Royal leading her main rival, Nicolas Sarkozy, by a slim margin. Now she has slipped behind him; the most recent Ipsos poll has Sarkozy with 32% support, Royal with 29% and perennial far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen with 20%. In the expected runoff, Sarkozy had 52% to Royal's 48%. Royal tried to get her campaign back on track with a major speech aimed at her left-wing constituency. She cast herself as the defender of France's generous social welfare state, promising to lock in the 35-hour workweek, strengthen trade unions, boost the minimum wage by 20% and increase pensions, which already are considered unsustainable. She also vowed to protect French jobs from globalization and to stand up to the United States.

Four Women Released After Arrests in French Terror Sweep. [The Associated Press] Police have released four women detained in a sweep by French anti-terrorist agents this week that netted 11 people suspected of ties to a recruiting network for the insurgency in Iraq, officials said. The other seven suspects remain in custody, and were in Paris for questioning by agents of the SDAT anti-terrorism agency, a police official said, on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case. Counterterrorism agents rounded up eight suspects — including the four women — in and near the southwestern city of Toulouse. Another was arrested east of Paris. Two other suspects in the same investigation were detained at Paris' Orly airport after being flown home from Syria, where they were caught by authorities in December while allegedly trying to sneak into Iraq.

Women Opting for Radical Surgery Left Without Beds. [Irish Medical News, Ireland] Women who have opted to have their ovaries and womb removed in an effort to prevent ovarian and breast cancer have been left waiting for a bed, according to a leading consultant oncologist. Prof Peter Daly, consultant medical oncologist at St James’s Hospital, Dublin said he has had “the unhappy situation” where a woman has had to come to terms with the prospect of surgery and make arrangements, only to be told that there is no bed for her when she arrives for surgery. Prof Daly said women diagnosed through BreastCheck are guaranteed a bed for surgery and he feels other women deserve the same treatment. He said there are a minority of women who are born with a predisposition to breast cancer and it has been proven that as time goes on the genes are passed from generation to generation.

Law Society’s First Female President. [Isle of Man Today, UK] Advocate Sharon Roberts has become the first woman president of the Isle of Man Law Society. Previously vice-president, Ms Roberts (55) has taken over the role for the next two years from Jeremy Callin. She feels 'there is no need for improvement' on what her predecessors achieved but looks forward to maintaining the society's high standards and helping all their members. Ms Roberts would also like to build a 'better rapport' with politicians in the Island. She said: 'The society has not been best friends with our politicians in the past and there have been some mutual misunderstandings. I'd like to change that and improve communication between us.' She hopes to provide a reception for Tynwald members in the near future to outline her plans for the next two years and discuss some of their issues. Ms Roberts continues: 'A large part of this role is looking after our members who have very stressful and pressurized jobs.

Portugal’s Abortion Vote Hangs in the Balance. [Tiscali Europe, UK] The Portuguese people voted to legalize abortion in a referendum on 11 February. However, despite the victory of the 'sim' camp, the turnout was not enough to validate the result. The government must now put the matter to a vote in parliament to push through its decriminalization bill. Just 44% of the 8.9 million people registered in the country turned up for the vote. But 59% of those declared themselves in favor of legalizing abortion up to the tenth week of pregnancy. For socialist premier José Socrates this represents an “unequivocal” result which should give a green light to his draft bill. "This is a victory for a country that no longer submits to 'fado' or misery,” said journalist Fernanda Cancio, “nor walks blind to the tone of its leaders - be they political or religious". Under current legislation, the ‘voluntary interruption of pregnancy’ carried out during the first 10 weeks is considered a crime. Exceptions are currently allowed in just three cases: if the health of the woman is at risk, if the pregnancy is a result of rape, or if it is the only way to save the woman’s life.

Female Members of Russian Delegation Change into Muslim Clothes. [Interfax-Religion, Russia] The visit of President Vladimir Putin to Saudi Arabia started unusually for female members of the Russian delegation and journalists compared to other top-level visits. When the plane carrying journalists and experts landed at Riyadh airport on Sunday all the women were led to a special hall where they were invited to put on the abaya and hijab. The traditional overgarments for women in Saudi Arabia had been brought from the Russian embassy. At the embassy Interfax was told that it has a certain number of the garments for women arriving from Russia with various delegations. The women were allowed to leave airport only wearing them.

Brazil Arrests Spaniard Suspected of Leading International Prostitution Ring. [The Associated Press] Brazilian police arrested a Spanish man suspected of being a leader of an international human trafficking ring that recruited women to work as prostitutes in Spain, officials said. Acting on an anonymous tip, federal police arrested Aquilino Gonzalez Iglesias in the central city of Goiania, 750 kilometers (465 miles) north of Sao Paulo, said a federal police spokesman who declined to be quoted by name in accordance with department policy. "This is the second time we arrested (the suspect) on the same charges in less than six months," he said. "He was arrested last September in Sao Paulo on human trafficking charges but a court allowed him to await trial in freedom." The spokesman said Gonzalez was detained in a shopping mall in the company of three young women for whom he was buying lingerie.

Women Strengthen Their Position in Local Politics. [NZZ Online, Switzerland] In increasing number of women have entered local politics in Switzerland over the past few years. At the end of last year, they occupied almost 30% of parliamentary seats in Swiss towns and cities. In the parliaments of Switzerland's five largest cities, the proportion of women reached 37%, with the city of Bern holding the record with 42.5%, according to statistics of Swiss towns 2007. In the 1980s the proportion of women in the parliaments of cities was below 20% and even went down to 12% in places with fewer than 10,000 residents. Since then the proportion has risen by 15 percentage points. But in the big cities, the percentage of women is more than five points higher than in the smallest towns. In a nutshell, the more people there are living in a town, the more women tend to be represented in the communal parliament. But there are exceptions.