Remarkable numbers… about women

Some historic and impressive* numbers about women 1893: year women can vote

… in New Zealand, that* is. Yes, NZ was the first independent country in which all women had the right* to vote in parliamentary elections. In Britain, women would have to wait until 1928 for equal* voting rights and in France, until 1944!

Gemini Pro Studio/Shutterstock

70

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years on the throne*

Queen Elizabeth II acceded* to the throne on 6 February 1952, aged 25, and has worked with 14 different prime ministers! She is Britain’s longest-serving* monarch, and will, we hope, have celebrated her 70th year as Queen by* the time you read this!

41

American women CEOs* on Fortune 500

In 2021, 41 women were running* businesses on the Fortune 500, which classifies* America’s 500 largest companies. In contrast, there were only two women on the list in 2000! 2021 also saw the first female CEO* of a major Wall Street bank.

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5 women leaders in the European Union

At the start of 2022, there were women leaders in five countries in the EU*: Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Denmark and Sweden. Germany’s Angela Merkel liberated her post as leader after 16 consecutive years and 16 days in power*, last November.

3 No.1

Jay L Clendenin/Los Angeles Times/Shutterstock

albums in 259 days! 4 million

people mobilised

Climate activist Greta Thunberg was busy in 2019. On 20 September, she inspired four million people to join* the global* climate strike – the largest climate demonstration* in history. That year, she also gave* a speech at the United* Nations and met the Pope!

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accede to the thone: accéder au trône achieve: atteindre by the time: quand

Action Press/Shutterstock Pow! Last year Taylor Swift smashed* a 54-year-old Beatles’ record after achieving* three UK No.1 albums in just 259 days – Folklore, Evermore and Fearless (Taylor’s Version). The Beatles’ record for three No.1 hits was 364 days.

CEO (chief executive officer): P.-D.G. classify: classer demonstration: manifestation equal (voting rights): les mêmes (droits de vote) EU (European Union): UE, Union européenne give (p. gave) a speech: faire un discours global climate strike: grève mondiale pour le climat impressive: impressionnant join: rejoindre longest-serving: en fonction depuis le plus longtemps power (in): au pouvoir right (to vote): droit de vote

Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock

run (a business): diriger une entreprise smash: anéantir that is: c’est-à-dire throne: trône United Nations (UN): Nations unies

INTERVIEW WITH A SKIRT. Scanne ce QR code pour écouter cet article sur notre chaîne YouTube.

Interview with a skirt

ILEW: Excuse me, but are you a skirt or a kilt?

Oh, for God’s sake*! Why does that even matter*? A kilt IS a skirt, you idiot! What I am is simply this: a rectangular piece* of fabric that you wear* around* your waist. That’s all! You just want to use different vocabulary to protect your fragile male ego. What is your problem? Why are men so terrified about the gender connotations of a rectangle of wool*? Whoa! Aren’t you being a little over-sensitive*?

Well, so* would you be if you were me! Look at the miniskirt, for example. First, people said that this was a symbol of sexual equality. “Hey, girls and boys, it’s the 1960s: after hundreds of years of oppression, women are liberated because now they can show* their legs!” A generation later* people are saying: “Miniskirts are inappropriate* and you cannot blame* men if they behave* like they are still chasing* mammoths!”. It’s so ridiculous! Err… What’s ridiculous?

All of it! Because it’s not really about me, the skirt, it’s about you men and your problems. But you probably won’t ever understand that unless* you start wearing skirts, too. Of course, most of you would probably need to call me a “mini-kilt” to convince yourselves that I was legitimate “man clothing*”. You should be more like that young singer Harry Styles. He’s perfectly happy to wear a skirt and call it “a skirt”.

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around your waist: autour de ta taille behave: se comporter blame (cannot): ne pas pouvoir en vouloir à boring: banal chase: chasser clearly better: nettement mieux clothing (man): habillement pour homme fun (have… with): s’amuser avec get: comprendre inappropriate: inconvenant later: plus tard matter (why does that even): quelle importance ? over-dressed: trop habillé over-sensitive: trop susceptible piece of fabric: morceau de tissu right (to be): avoir raison But why does Harry Styles wear skirts?

Because “clothes are there to have fun* with”, he says. I know that is a radical point of view but… don’t you think he is right*? Trousers* are boring*! And the fact is you’re just jealous that women can wear a skirt on a hot summer’s day, aren’t you? That’s clearly* better than being a sweaty*, Patrice Stableover-dressed* male! Just relax and admit it: women win this one. They get* skirts.

sake (for God’s): pour l’amour de Dieu show: dévoiler so would you be: tu le serais aussi sweaty: transpirant trousers: pantalon unless: sauf si wear: porter wool: laine

WOMEN’S WAR WORK. Scanne ce QR code pour écouter cet article sur notre chaîne YouTube. WAR* MECHANIC: a woman works on an airplane motor at a factory* in California, USA, in June 1942.

Alfred T. Palmer/Ullstein Bild/Photo12

iconpai/Noun Project Women s war* work

“Rosie”, pictured* right, was a cultural icon of the Second World War* . But what is the true story behind this now iconic image?

Before the Second World War*, the minority of women who worked outside* of the home occupied “light*” jobs such as secretary, shop* assistant or schoolteacher. But as millions of men left* for combat, there was an urgent need* for them to work as machinists, truck* drivers, construction workers* and many more traditionally “male jobs” (though for a lot* less money).

This famous poster* comes from America, where about six million women worked in factories* during the war. Today, it has become an iconic image of feminism, but at the time very few* people saw it. It was just one in a series of 42 posters produced to boost* employee morale by a company* called Westinghouse Electric (you can see their logo on the bottom right of the image).

In consequence, it was only exhibited* in Westinghouse factories for a couple* of weeks in 1943 and then forgotten*. Until* the 1980s, that is, when it appeared in an article about propaganda art in TheWashington Post Magazine. Suddenly, and at a time where American women were demanding equality, the image acquired* new significance*.

Today, the woman in the poster is generally called “Rosie the Riveter*” after a famous song of the period*, but she was probably Naomi Parker, a 20-year-old factory* worker whose photograph was seen by the artist. Much like Britain’s famous “Keep Calm & Carry* On” war poster, which also spent many years in total obscurity, it is now so familiar that few people imagine that its fame is, in fact, a relatively recent phenomenon.

! LE PLUS : la forme verbale to carry on se traduit par “continuer”, “persister”, ou “tenir malgré des épreuves”. Employé comme un nom, carry-on désigne des bêtises, des histoires, et plus généralement une situation ou un comportement qu’on peut qualifi er de “n’importe quoi”!

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acquire: se parer de boost morale: remonter le moral carry on: tenir bon (voir aussi note jaune) company: entreprise couple of weeks: quelques semaines exhibit: exposer factory: usine factory worker: ouvrier, travailleur d’usine few (very): très peu forgotten: oublié leave (p. left) for combat: partir au front light: non physique lot less money (a): beaucoup moins d’argent mechanic: mécanicien need: besoin outside of the home: en dehors du foyer period: époque pictured right: en portrait à droite poster: affiche riveter: riveteur shop assistant: vendeur significance: importance truck driver: conducteur de camion until the 1980s: jusqu’aux années 80 war: guerre worker: ouvrier