8 Countries Where It's Dangerous For Women To Travel

We've seen an alarming number of stories about sex attacks on female travelers in recent weeks, from a Swiss tourist who was gang-raped in India to an American student who was raped on a van in Rio de Janeiro.

It doesn't mean that women shouldn't visit foreign places or that no parts of those countries are safe. But women traveling in these areas should do so with extreme caution and a knowledge of the culture.

We rounded up eight popular tourist destinations where women should be extra cautious, based on reports from Human Rights Watch, the State Department, and crime reports in the media.

India

From the Taj Mahal to river boat cruises, India's tourism industry generates $17.7 billion each year.

But the recent gang rapes of a Swiss tourist and a New Delhi student, and a British tourist jumping from her window for fear of being raped have caused tourism to drop 35 percent since December.

And Human Rights Watch writes that reports of violence against women have been increasing, and "the government had yet to properly investigate and prosecute sexual abuse in police custody."

Brazil

Rio de Janeiro is billed as the most popular tourist destination in the Southern Hemisphere, but women should be on alert after an American tourist was raped in a van while her French boyfriend was handcuffed, AP reports.

The three suspects were arrested, but Brazil is known for its a machismo culture and history of gender-based violence, according to Human Rights Watch.

It will be hosting next year's World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

Turkey

Tourists in Turkey largely flock to historical sites in Istanbul or the country's gorgeous seaside resorts.

But violence against women is a major problem in Turkey. The State Department reports that the Embassy and Consulates have received numerous reports of crimes against women, particularly incidents involving "date rape" drugs.

The police and courts also have a bad track record with helping women who have applied for protection orders against their attackers, according to Human Rights Watch.

And an American woman traveling alone in Istanbul was killed in February.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Please follow The Life on Twitter and Facebook.

Read More

Keeping Women Off Of Corporate Boards Is A Really Bad Idea

Worldwide, only about one out of every ten corporate board members is a woman (PDF).

That’s a sharp imbalance, and some countries and institutions have been working to correct it. In 2003, Norway introduced a mandate that at least 40% of every public company’s board be female, and last year, the European Union passed a similar quota to go into effect by 2020 (though the target, also 40%, won’t be a hard requirement). Morgan Stanley, on the other hand, is providing a way for investors to vote for corporate gender equality with their money: Starting in April, it will offer a “parity portfolio” that selectively invests in companies with women on their boards.

But companies that actually need external pressure to appoint female directors are being daft. A growing body of research shows that having women on the board is a huge boon. A new study suggests that female board members are more inclined than their male counterparts to make decisions based on fairness when there are competing interests at play and less likely to stick to tradition for tradition’s sake (which is a good quality, if you value a responsive and forward-thinking board).

Here is more evidence that having more women on the board makes companies better:

1. Between 2005 and 2011, the share price of companies with at least one woman on the board outperformed those with none by 26%.

When comparing companies with similar market caps. (From Credit Suisse.)

2. Fortune 500 companies with the most women on their boards have produced a 53% stronger return on equity than those with the fewest.

Of course, it’s not clear from this data that the women in question are ushering in these returns. According to Credit Suisse, larger, more profitable businesses do tend to appoint more women to the board. Still, at the very least, more female board members signifies a healthier company.

 

3. Having at least one female on the board reduces a company’s risk of bankruptcy by 20%.

According to research from the Leeds University Business School (paywall).

4. Boards with three or more women are 42% more likely to explicitly monitor whether the company is following the board’s strategy than boards with only men.

This result comes from the Conference Board of Canada, which notes:

Boards with more women are also more likely to use committees, particularly an executive committee and a strategic planning committee. The sense is that these boards are taking a more active role in setting the strategic direction and weighing long-term priorities. Far from focusing on traditionally ‘soft’ areas, boards with more women surpass all-male boards in their attention to audit and risk oversight and control.

Please follow War Room on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Read More