✊Boss Betty✊: Warren Buffett does the wrong thing, Gretchen Carlson takes on arbitration at Goldman, #Sofagate & more

Hello! We’re thinking about housekeeping. 🧹

No, not because we just read the government’s latest “Women in the Labor Force” report and noted that 89 percent of house cleaners are women and that these women are paid 7 percent less than men in the field — though, fair point, that’s worth mentioning — but because we have a couple of so-called housekeeping items to share.

The first is that next week you’ll be getting this newsletter on Thursday. It’s May, summer is coming, we figured, why not give a new day a whirl? Feel free to reply if you think this is a terrible idea (or, alternatively, if you’re into it).

The second and last thing après zee news is that we’re starting a cool rewards program. Yeah! Sign up for our weekly newsletter and if you like us, share us, and we’ll send you stuff. Already a subscriber? Get your unique link here.

News to note 📝

Former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson took on Goldman Sachs’ arbitration policy at a shareholder meeting. She lost, but barely. Carlson, whose voice emerged early in the #MeToo movement after she sued Fox and its then-CEO Roger Ailes for sexual harassment in 2016, got 49 percent of fellow Goldman shareholders to vote for a measure that would have required the bank to report on the effect on staff of mandatory arbitration, which keeps harassment complaints confidential. [Bloomberg]

Billionaire business tycoon Warren Buffett does not want to share his companies’ gender and racial diversity numbers. The Oracle of Omaha is also resisting shareholder calls for climate-related disclosures from Berkshire Hathaway companies. This is disappointing news from a widely-respected investor with a reputation for fairness. [NYT]

Why has NYC never ever elected a woman mayor? Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, who in stark contrast to the female mayoral contenders has no gov’t experience in New York, is leading in the polls. None of the four women still running has broken into the top three in polling. “New York [has] this incredibly strong party machinery that I think makes it difficult for women to break in,” says Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics. Meanwhile, mayoral candidate Scott Stringer was accused of sexual harassment this week and Gov. Andrew Cuomo is still defiant in the face of multiple misconduct allegations. [Politico]

The International Monetary Fund is creating a new high-level role focused on gender issues. IMF head Kristalina Georgieva announced that the financial institution, which is responsible for helping to ensure the financial and economic stability of almost every country in the world, will appoint Ratna Sahay senior advisor on gender as it looks to assist countries in building economic opportunities as they recover from the pandemic. [Reuters]

Lummi Island’s Willows Inn went from fantasy destination to grim reality as allegations of workplace sexism and racial bullying swirl. Thirty-five former staffers said the acclaimed restaurant, located on a tiny island off of Washington State, is a nightmare work environment, with constant sexual harassment of female employees, women blocked from promotions and rampant verbal bullying of workers. [Eater]

Numbers to know 🔢

 $800B   Income women workers lost in 2020 because of the pandemic, according to Oxfam. “Governments and employers see women’s work as dispensable and women’s unpaid labor as given,” said Mara Bolis, associate director at the poverty-fighting organization.

 14.4%   Percentage of the record $156 billion raised in U.S. venture capital last year that went to women — more than a 2.5 percent drop. The ca$h was freely flowing to male tech founders last year, but female entrepreneurs ended up with an even smaller piece of the pie than the usual miniscule serving, according to PitchBook data.

 12   Weeks of paid leave proposed by Pres. Joe Biden in his American Families Plan. If enacted, we’d finally lose our despicable and embarrassing status as the only industrialized nation without it. Free pre-K and affordable childcare are also part of the proposal. Biden kicked off his Wednesday speech with the historic line, “Madame Vice President and Madame Speaker,” calling attention to the first time two women have flanked a U.S. president in a joint address to Congress.

 2   Number of women in history who have won an Oscar for directing. “Nomadland” director Chloe Zhao became only the second woman —Kathryn Bigelow won in 2010 — and first woman of color to receive the coveted award at last Sunday’s Academy Awards.

And, in closing, a quote to think on

“Would this have happened if I had worn a suit and a tie?…I felt hurt and left alone, as a woman and as a European.”