| View this email in your browser. November 8, 2021
Good morning, Broadsheet readers! The October jobs report has good news and bad news for women, the House passes Biden’s infrastructure bill–with Build Back Better still to go, and young climate activists are pushing for change at COP26. Have a productive Monday.
– Call to action. For the past week, I’ve been reading my colleague Katherine Dunn’s coverage from COP26, the UN climate summit in Glasgow. Taking stock of the conference’s first week, Katherine writes that there’s been some progress—even if Greta Thunberg called the gathering a “failure.”
“Since we are so far from what actually we needed, I think what would be considered a success would be if people realize what a failure this COP is,” Thunberg said during a panel interview at the conference.
The 18-year-old climate activist is just one of the young female activists setting a high bar for the world leaders gathered in Scotland. As the NYT points out, the median age of a world leader at COP26 is over 60—and they’ve been meeting to discuss climate solutions since before many activists were born. The young cohort of activists who made the trip to Glasgow are pushing those leaders to do more and do better.
The two groups differ by more than their age. Most climate targets set at the summit agree to some sort of change by 2030, or even 2060 or 2070. Young activists say that’s far from enough. “Yesterday was the time,” activist Dominique Palmer told the Times.
But, Katherine notes, leaders at the summit have made some concessions, even if they’re far from what activists are calling for. India committed to a net zero target date for the first time ever, days after the country’s leaders rejected the idea of setting any domestic targets. For the first time, too, business has had a significant presence at a gathering like this. While climate activists would likely criticize business leaders for not doing enough to fix their corporations’ impact on the climate, it’s still a change from the 2015 Paris climate talks, when business “by invitation or by choice” didn’t have much of a voice at all.
Katherine will be back in Glasgow this week, reporting from the ground for Fortune.
Emma Hinchliffe
[email protected]
@_emmahinchliffe
Correction: The Broadsheet on Friday misreported the candidates in an upcoming Atlanta mayoral runoff. Felicia Moore will compete against Andre Dickens later this month.
The Broadsheet, Fortune’s newsletter for and about the world’s most powerful women, is coauthored by Kristen Bellstrom, Emma Hinchliffe, and Claire Zillman. Today’s edition was curated by Emma Hinchliffe.
A note from Fortune $1 for first month Subscribe for the analysis you need without all the noise. Try Fortune for $1. ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
- Good news, bad news. Friday's October U.S. jobs report showed a slightly increased 4.4% unemployment rate for women—but a higher labor force participation rate as women between 25 and 54 return to the workforce. Recovery continues to be uneven, with labor participation declining for Black women over 20.
- Run for it. Peres Jepchirchir, a Kenyan runner and marathon gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, won the New York City Marathon on Sunday. Molly Seidel finished fourth as the top American in the marathon. And Shalane Flanagan finished her sixth marathon in six weeks, a challenge she embarked on even though she's technically retired as a professional runner.
- Tough job. Patti Poppe has one of the toughest CEO jobs in the U.S.: fixing PG&E. Her top priority is overhauling the utility's electrical system that has ignited wildfires in California. WSJ
- Biden bill. The House of Representatives passed the $555 billion infrastructure bill on Friday night, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden's desk. Some progressives voted against the legislation because the hotly debated Build Back Better bill—which includes spending on the social safety net, including issues like paid leave—hasn't yet been finalized. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called both bills "historic." NBC News
CONTENT FROM MCKINSEY & COMPANY Sustainable, inclusive growth Growth for all is growth for good. Can the global economy deliver on three ambitious goals—growth, sustainability, and inclusion—simultaneously? Here's a proposal for business, government, and society leaders on how to make it happen. Read the article
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
- Breaking news. Men still claim about two-thirds of credits and bylines across the news media, according to a new study from the Women's Media Center. Broadcast news is closer to gender parity than newspapers, online media, or wire services, which lag behind. Nieman Lab
- Courting interruptions. When Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar spoke to the Supreme Court last week, she couldn't get a word in edgewise. The second woman to hold the post—on her first day on the job—was defending the Justice Department's lawsuit against Texas over the state's abortion ban. But the court's male justices—namely, Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch—cut her off a notable amount as seen in court transcripts. Slate
- Safety first. Tracy Chou has advocated for women in tech and online safety for almost a decade. Her startup, Block Party, builds tools to prevent online harassment. But throughout her career as a solo female founder, she's continued to navigate harassment online and off—and says her startup has been mostly ignored by investors amid one of the hottest VC markets in decades. Fast Company
ON MY RADAR
How about never? The liberating power of 'no' The Atlantic
I was the editor-in-chief of Working Mother, and I couldn't hack working motherhood HuffPost
5 women on how they quit their jobs The Cut
PARTING WORDS
"It’s about finding friendships that matter, looking for work that fulfills you, and pursuing love, even when it drags you, bloodied, down the street."
-Sarah Jessica Parker on Sex and the City and the forthcoming reboot And Just Like That... The actor is on the December cover of Vogue.
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