Votes for Women

As we inch closer to November, voters are beginning to consider who to vote for – and female candidates are often not an option on their ballots. A Cosmopolitan survey sponsored by Pivotal Ventures, a company founded by Melinda French Gates to accelerate social progress and expand women’s power and influence in the U.S., found American women want to see themselves in decision making roles but face structural barriers to get there.

Women want to see their peers in elected office, with more than four in five women (83%) saying having more women in elected office would have a positive impact. What’s more – 89% of American women say it's important for their own life that women can succeed across all levels of elected office.

Age plays a role in perceptions, with Gen Zers (54%) being more likely than other generations to point to inadequate pay as a challenge faced by women in politics.

Race is another significant factor, as Black women (59%) are more likely than Hispanic women (47%) and white women (45%) to say female politicians are criticized “much more” by other politicians.

Cosmopolitan, in partnership with Pivotal Ventures, also shared several female elected officials’ perspectives on life in elected office and their views on how the conversation around women’s politics can be moved forward. Check out the feature here.

On Wednesday, May 15, The 19^th is hosting an event titled, “Equal Participants in Our Democracy”, with conversations focusing on the crucial role of women in office and in our broader democracy. If you’re in DC, please feel free to RSVP and join the discussions in person.

Last week we looked at the people behind the bylines. As a follow-up, our colleague Abby Major reviewed Cision’s 2024 State of the Media report to better understand how reporters do their jobs every day. Here are the key takeaways:

• It’s not easy out there. You can’t talk about the media right now without acknowledging that the industry is under intense pressure. Sixty two percent of respondents said “media downsizing and reduced resources” is the number one challenge. This should color how – and how often – PR professionals approach them. 

• Clicks count. An overwhelming majority (79%) said their organization’s primary measure of success is readership/viewership numbers. Based on that, it’s no surprise that when asked what PR professionals can do to make their lives easier, 68% of journalists said, “Understand my target audience and what they find relevant.” Help them by delivering content they can be sure will attract and engage readers.

• Just the facts, please. The press release still holds immense value for journalists, with nearly three in four naming it as content they’d like to receive from PR professionals. Coming in second with 61% is “original research reports (trends, market data, etc.)”. Two thirds of respondents say press releases are the source they find most useful for generating content or ideas. 

Finding ways to help journalists succeed according to their publications’ metrics and in an ever-shifting industry is critical to forging productive media relationships.

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All eyes are on France with the 2024 Olympic Games happening in Paris this summer—and corporates’ are no exception, with President Macron's just-concluded Choose France Summit raking in a record investment of €15 billion. Launched in 2018, the international economic summit, which aims to attract foreign investment, brings global CEOs together with French decisionmakers.

President Macron has prioritized the reindustrialization of France to increase the competitiveness of the economy, and wants to strengthen Europe's technological sovereignty. 

Below are the summit’s key takeaways.

• The total investment figure, €15 billion across 56 projects, exceeds last year’s €13 billion, an increase of 15.3%.

  • Major investors include Microsoft (€4bn), Amazon (€1.2bn), Pfizer (€500m), AstraZeneca, Novartis, GSK and other well-known European corporates such as Estonian high-power energy storage firm Skeleton Technologies or Spain-based fertilizer group FertigHy.

• France remains the main destination for global investors in Europe, despite weaker growth output since the beginning of the year.

• Projects announced at the summit are expected to create 10,000 jobs. They cover key industries such as AI, decarbonization-related businesses, healthcare and finance.

• Prime Minister Gabriel Attal praised the "new attractiveness of France,” attributing its success partly to the impact of Brexit and the country's reduction in corporate taxes and simplification of regulations.

• The primary investment sources for this seventh annual conference focus on decarbonization efforts across all sectors, with particular emphasis on healthcare, artificial intelligence and emerging industrial processes.