Summary

  • A team of women in Silicon Valley have spent a week trying to tackle a problem - the glass ceiling

  • Their innovations were unveiled at an event at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California

  • BBC 100 Women names 100 influential and inspirational women around the world every year

  • Upcoming challenges are tackling female illiteracy (Delhi); improving public transport safety for women (London); and challenging sexism in sport (Rio de Janeiro)

  1. Who will be taking the stage?published at 16:39 British Summer Time 6 October 2017

    Our #teamlead members include Lori Mackenzie, external, a specialist in gender diversity; artificial intelligence specialist Rumman Chowdury, external; product designer Roya Ramezani, external; and software engineer Natalia Margolis, external.

    You can find out more about them in the video below.

    They will be joined by Erin Akinci, a data scientist whose nerves in the workplace has inspired one of their innovations, and Lea Coligado, a Google software engineer and founder of the Women of Silicon Valley project.

    The BBC's Nuala McGovern - who has been hosting events and discussions throughout the week - will also be there.

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  2. Masterclass on body languagepublished at 16:16 British Summer Time 6 October 2017

    Amy Cuddy, who gave the second most watched TED Talk of all time, flew in from Boston to help Erin Akinci, who gets nervous in meetings.

    Erin is a data scientist who has trouble speaking up and her story inspired one of the innovations soon to be revealed.

    Watch Amy explaining to our audience how posture can change your life.

    Media caption,

    100 Women: Amy Cuddy on how posture can boost your confidence

  3. Reveal day!published at 16:11 British Summer Time 6 October 2017

    It's the last day of the 100 Women glass ceiling challenge.

    After a week of little sleep, live radio brainstorming, 3D printing, Wonder Woman posing, wood cutting and app development, #teamlead are ready to unveil their innovations at an event at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California.

    But before that, let's recap what they have been doing.

    They've been trying to tackle the issues that hold women back in the workplace by focusing on three areas:

    • Helping women feel confident to speak out and be bold
    • Changing dynamics in team meetings
    • Targeting "bro culture" in places like Silicon Valley (home of the US tech industry) and changing men's mindsets

    What have they created? Follow our updates here to find out!

    #teamlead
  4. A sneak peek at one of #teamlead's innovationspublished at 14:49 British Summer Time 6 October 2017

    It looks like an app...but what does it do?

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  5. Will automation hurt women more than men?published at 13:57 British Summer Time 6 October 2017

    This photograph taken on September 12, 2017, shows the robot 'Yumi' conducting Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli (C) and The Lucca Philharmonic Orchestra in rehearsal for a concert for the first time at The Teatro Verdi in Pisa.Image source, AFP

    In Silicon Valley, the location of our first 100 Women Challenge, there is a lot of work being done on artificial intelligence, automation and robotics.

    But will these technological advances - be it in the office or the factory - affect the working life of men and women equally?

    Well. according to preliminary findings from the Institute for Spatial Economic Analysis (ISEA), in California, women are twice as likely to work in jobs with a high chance of being replaced by automation.

    These are jobs in sectors like administration.

    However, the World Economic Forum's 2016 Future of Jobs report indicated men and women would share the burden of jobs losses fairly equally.

    And PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in 2017 suggested a higher percentage of men in the UK, US, Germany and Japan worked in jobs at a high risk of automation.

    Interested in reading more? Check out our Reality Check piece here.

  6. Meet Indonesia's 'superwoman' maritime ministerpublished at 12:51 British Summer Time 6 October 2017

    Susi Pudjiastuti has been painted as Superwoman on a public mural, depicted as a half mermaid-half warrior and even as a manga comic action figure.

    Indonesia has never had a political figure quite like her before.

    She's also known for blowing up illegal fishing boats in front of cameras.

    Click the link in the tweet below to read more.

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  7. Why are we focusing on confidence?published at 11:21 British Summer Time 6 October 2017

    We have been bringing you updates all week from the team of brilliant women that we have assembled for our first ever 100 Women Challenge, as they work on innovations to smash the glass ceiling.

    You might have noticed that a lot of the focus has been on women having the confidence to speak out in the workplace and be bold.

    But why does that matter?

    Well, studies show that women are interrupted, external (by both genders) more than men; that men speak significantly more, external in meetings than women do (one study found they account for 75% of conversation); that even when women speak less they are perceived, external to have spoken more; and that male execs who talk more than their peers are viewed to be more competent, external, while female execs are viewed as less competent.

    Wonder what that might look like in a meeting? Watch this video:

    Media caption,

    Mansplaining, mansplained

  8. What are they making?published at 19:37 British Summer Time 5 October 2017

    #teamlead have less than 24 hours before they must unveil their innovations to tackle the glass ceiling.

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  9. More ideas from youpublished at 18:16 British Summer Time 5 October 2017

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  10. 'I lost my male privilege'published at 17:53 British Summer Time 5 October 2017

    There's a "tax" on women in the tech industry - just because of their gender.

    Dr Vivienne Ming has calculated that cost. She's transgender, and says she lost her "male privilege" as she transitioned.

    Media caption,

    100 Women: 'I transitioned and lost my male privilege'

  11. Nuala tries the Wonder Womanpublished at 17:40 British Summer Time 5 October 2017

    Body language expert Amy Cuddy has just finished answering questions in a Facebook Live session from Silicon Valley.

    If you missed it - don't fear - you can watch it back here, external, or scroll down a couple of posts below to find the video.

    She talked through the philosophy behind her approach, gave advice on how to improve confidence - especially in meetings - and outlined some general practices that can help you develop "presence" and communicate better.

    The Wonder Woman pose (pictured below) is a way to feel more assertive, in charge and ready to tackle difficult situations, Amy says. The BBC's Nuala McGovern says she uses it to feel more confident before hosting major events.

    Nuala McGovern and Amy Cuddy
    Image caption,

    The BBC's Nuala McGovern (right) tests out the Wonder Woman pose

  12. Tips to develop 'presence'published at 17:30 British Summer Time 5 October 2017

    Amy suggests that instead of only focusing on pulling "powerful" poses like the Wonder Woman, women wanting to improve their presence should also "generally find ways to expand during the day".

    She says:

    • Find ways to have your chest open
    • Try and keep your limbs away from your torso
    • Keep your hands away from your jewellery
    • Avoid hunching over your phone

    These practices, she adds, can help people feel happier, more positive and communicate better.

  13. 'Ask yourself why you look powerless'published at 17:17 British Summer Time 5 October 2017

    Amy advises women to notice changes in their bodies when they feel nervous in a meeting, things like bringing their shoulders up and forward or twisting their ankles - "doing things that make you look powerless and feel powerless".

    She says: "Stop in those moments and ask what just happened that made me feel so powerless."

  14. We are live!published at 17:07 British Summer Time 5 October 2017

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    If the live stream above does not work for you, please click through here to watch, external on the 100 Women Facebook page.

  15. What do you want to ask Amy Cuddy?published at 17:04 British Summer Time 5 October 2017

    Amy Cuddy will soon be live on our Facebook page, external.

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  16. Facebook Live: How to develop 'presence'published at 16:44 British Summer Time 5 October 2017

    Can the Wonder Woman pose change your life?

    Social psychologist and power pose expert Amy Cuddy thinks so; she gave the second most-watched TED Talk, external of all time on the topic of body language.

    Amy will be taking questions live on our Facebook page , externalfrom 0900 PDT (1700 BST) on how to develop "presence" for all your biggest challenges.

    We'll be keeping on top of the discussion here.

    Amy CuddyImage source, Getty Images
  17. What should they name their app?published at 16:35 British Summer Time 5 October 2017

    Yesterday we asked for some suggestions to help #teamlead name one of their innovations - an app that will aim to help improve gender dynamics in meetings.

    Here are some of the suggestions that came in.

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  18. #teamlead are still hard at workpublished at 16:21 British Summer Time 5 October 2017

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  19. The woman who coined "glass ceiling"published at 15:15 British Summer Time 5 October 2017

    Marilyn Loden came up with the term "glass ceiling" almost 40 years ago.

    She took part in our panel discussion live on BBC World Service radio on Tuesday. (Listen here if you missed it!)

    What does she think about the 100 Women challenge?

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  20. The Nobel prizes - where are all the women?published at 14:21 British Summer Time 5 October 2017

    Four of this year's Nobel prizes have been awarded - and all have gone to men.

    Only peace and economics are yet to be announced.

    But this is not a new phenomenon, especially in the physics, chemistry and medicine or physiology categories.

    Since the awards' inception in 1901, only 17 women have been awarded a Nobel Prize in the three science categories.

    Indeed, the Nobels remain the most prominent glass ceiling in the world of science.

    Read more here.

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