There are millions of individual stories that begin to personalize for us the depth of the Haitian tragedy.  Here is one that has huge, long-term  implications for the women and girls of our ravaged, sister country.   Three of the most visible and effective women leaders in the country were all killed in the earthquake.   Here is the story of who they were and what they did.  I hope they inspire you to do MORE, as well.   Click here. 

The Pew Research Center has just published a revealing and fascinating look at the dramatic shifts underway in gender roles, particularly as they relate to marriage.  According to the report, "The institution of marriage has undergone significant changes in recent decades as women have outpaced men in education and earnings growth.  The unequal gains have been accompanied by gender role reversals in both the spousal characteristics and the economic benefits of marriage."

Two of the most fascinating facts, to me, were:

• A few decades back, a majority of women said they would consider marrying a man they didn't love -- IF he were a strong financial provider.  In Pew's most recent research, an overwhelming majority (87%) of the American women surveyed said they would not marry a man they didn't love because of his money.  Instead, the top qualities they were looking for in a man were:  intimate communication skills and willingness to pitch in as an equal partner on the homefront.
•  There's been a statistically significant increase in the number of men -- particularly in the 30-44 age group -- who are married to women who are better educated and earn more money than they do.

Here's the link to Pew Research Center's report on:  New Economics of Marriage:  The Rise of Wives. 

If you haven't seen Sandra Bullock's new movie, Blind Side, yet -- Go See It!  Not only is it a great story AND Bullock gives what may be an Academy Award nomination worthy performance.   But here's the big news. 

Variety, the entertainment industry's most important trade paper, has just reported that Blind Side has just become the first-led fillm in movie history to cross the magical $200 million earning mark at the Box Office.   Keep that up and Hollywood may start realizing the power of the pur$e.   Here's the story.

P.S.  I also loved It's Complicated, Meryl Streep's newest movie, and George Clooney's Up In the Air, which was filmed in Detroit.  Both made me laugh out loud -- and think about them long after they ended.

I took my headline directly from the author of this excellent Salon.com piece on the recent furor over the lack of a single woman author on Publisher Weekly's recent list of the Top 10 Books of the year.  What was the controversy all about?  Not a single woman author made the cut. 

What's wrong with that?  To quote columnist Kate Harding, the problem ". . . is not feminists searching the horizon with high-powered binoculars for any slight, but too many other people's deliberate decision to wear blinders."  

I'm deeply concerned that too many people -- beginning with women -- have been wearing blinders for nearly a decade about women's influence as leaders in our culture, organizations and public policy.  Complacency that all is well is the fastest route to losing ground.  It's time to start connecting the dots about how far women still have to go before we become equal partners with men in shaping the world we're leaving for those who will follow.