Economic woes, women's pockets, and Chappell Roan 🎤🎶
News at the intersection of feminism and business
January may go down as the longest year ever … but February still has plenty of time to show it up. 😩
Almost every entrepreneur we’ve spoken with lately is vacillating between existential dread and complete exhaustion, punctuated by flashes of hope and productivity.
Given the heaviness of the world right now, we thought we’d offer up 15 ideas for adding a splash of joy to your day.*
[*Everyone needs joy, especially when 💩 hits the 🪭.]
Laugh. A fake laugh will usually turn into a real one. 🤣
Have a 1-song dance party in your office. 🎶
Put together a beautiful Lego orchid for your office (keeping a real one alive is far too tricky!). 🥀
Pay a compliment to a stranger. You’ll both feel better (2 for the price of 1!).
Clean out your junk drawer.
Watch the incomparable Issa Rae’s Insecure, which is finally on Netflix. 📺
Stretch.
Create a secret handshake with someone. 🤝
Take an indica gummy and get a good nap. 💤
Read a romance novel (we suggest “Seven Days in June“ by Tia Williams or “The Wedding People” by Alison Espach).
Call your bestie on the phone and indulge yourself in a bit of nostalgia.
Order in your favorite feel-good meal and eat it by candlelight. 🕯️
Build a blanket fort!
Watch the sun rise or set. 🌤️
Sing in the shower (everyone should have a shower speaker). 🎤
Now onto this week’s roundup…
Job hopping is out. While nearly 40M workers quit in ‘24, that was down 22% from ‘22 and is the lowest turnover in 25 years. Be warned—people may not be sticking around because they’re happy…
Employees are leery about the economy. A new survey reveals that 81% of workers fear job loss in 2025 and 76% anticipate an increase in layoffs. It’s no wonder, then, that they’re staying put even if they hate the job.
People aren’t imagining layoffs. They’re already happening and being promised for the year ahead, most notably by the federal government.
This week’s AI roundup: A scary number of employers would rather hire AI than a recent grad; thankfully, LinkedIn is removing AI accounts ‘looking for jobs’; and Google is walking back its promise to not use AI technology for weapons or surveillance (of course).
DEI is under attack, which is bad news. If there’s any silver lining, it’s this: businesses that don’t succumb to the pressure will likely reap financial rewards.
You can do your part to inspire more girls to become entrepreneurs (and god knows we need them) simply by becoming a mentor to a teen.
Don’t do this! High-wage earners get more flexible schedules than low-wage workers and a consulting firm predicts remote work will become a reward for high performers, too. It’s the worst of Corporate America “haves and have nots.”
Everyone should read Elaine S. Comb’s “Open Letter: What It’s Like to Deal With Microaggressions at Work.” Period.
Is it true that capitalism is the reason women rarely get pockets? You betcha, and this fascinating article explains it all.
Want to know what really gets under your co-workers’ skin? No. 1 on the list may surprise you (is it really worse than being late?!).
If you don’t yet have an emergency fund, the best time to get started is right now, and this guide will help you get going.
This week on Messy Liberation podcast, Becky & Taina talk about grief and how it’s very much an issue as we live through this unraveling of American democracy.
We love the everyday heroes staging small but powerful rebellions against the shift right by their tech employers. There is always a way to fight!
Germany just guaranteed leave for anyone who experiences a miscarriage after the 13th week. While it would be best if it were extended to all miscarriages, it’s leaps and bounds better than the US, which doesn’t guarantee paid leave for pregnancy loss. Germany also beats the US when it comes to guaranteed parental leave; the former provides up to 3 years of full- or partial-pay leave, while the latter guarantees nothing.
I loved Chappell Roan’s acceptance speech for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards on Sunday.
“I told myself if I ever won a Grammy and I got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels in the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a livable wage and health care, especially developing artists,” she said.
Atlantic Records signed Roan in 2015, but then dropped her after five years, leaving her without a steady income or health insurance.
We all need to use our platforms to speak to power as much as possible. Yes to living wage for everyone!
Now that the amazing Faith Clarke is helping me build Feminist Founders into something bigger and better, I realized I no longer have a space that’s just mine. So, I just created Feminist Rants Are My Superpower, a solo newsletter where I share business tips, thoughts about politics and pop culture, and general rantings about the world around me. I hope you’ll join me!
As always, thank you for being a subscriber. We hope you find plenty of ways to care for yourself in the week ahead.
Yours in liberation,
Becky & Faith