On women's day, Ireland approves abortion referendum bill

The Irish government has agreed on a national referendum on abortion to be held by the end of May which could radically transform the lives of thousands of women, the media reported.

The cabinet, meeting on International Women's Day, approved a bill on Thursday allowing the long-anticipated referendum to go ahead, reports the Guardian.

Voters will be asked if they want to repeal article 40.3.3 - known as the eighth amendment - which since 1983 has given unborn foetuses and pregnant women an equal right to life, effectively enshrining a ban on abortion in the country's constitution.

If Ireland votes in favour of repeal, the government has said it will introduce legislation permitting unrestricted abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Tata Motors wants to hire more women in India but fewer are working

Jaguar Land Rover owner Tata Motors Ltd. had just about 200 women on the shop floor three years ago. Now, it has 10 times that number and is looking to hire more.
In socially conservative India, that may be a tall order. Better educated women from wealthier families aren’t encouraged to work and it’s usually when a man’s salary falls short that women seek jobs.

Many drop out to take care of children and older family members, shrinking the share of women in the workforce to around 24 per cent in 2015-2016 from 36 per cent a decade earlier, according to government data.
The cost of going backwards is real for India: Asia’s third-largest economy would see gross domestic product increase 27 per cent if it were able to boost female workforce participation to the levels seen for men, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde has said. For Tata Motors, the benefits are already apparent.

Women's Day: AI, SpiceJet, Vistara to fly with all-female crew today

Air India Express, Vistara, SpiceJet and Air India are among the airlines which will take to the skies on Thursday with all-women crew flights in order to celebrate the International Women's Day.

As many as eight international flights of Air India Express would be operated with an all-women crew. "All women-crew flights will take off from Kochi, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Mangalore, Mumbai and Delhi on Thursday," the no-frills airline said in a release today.

Functions are also being organised at all its offices to felicitate the women workforce, which is about 40 per cent of its total employees, it added.

Putin praises 'feminine traits' of female bosses ahead of Women's Day

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday praised female bosses and their "typically feminine traits" during a visit to a pastry factory ahead of International Women's Day.
March 8 is a public holiday in Russia but is mainly celebrated by giving flowers and chocolates to women rather than stressing the need for gender equality.

"To be a major shareholder... or the head of a business, you have to have particular qualities," said Putin as he met with female entrepreneurs in the city of Samara on the Volga river.
"I think that women do have these qualities, and even certain advantages," said the president, who cultivates a macho image and is often photographed topless and playing sports.
"Men are, as they say, tougher.

But if these leadership qualities are combined with typically feminine traits, then the result is often much superior than the assertiveness of strong men."