By Stephanie Haladner

What do handbags have to do with it?

That was the question on my mind after we launched Women in Law in a handbag boutique. Handbags have always divided my opinion. On the one hand, I quite like them (and judging by my collezione, they quite like me). On the other hand, a part of me wonders if the handbag isn’t a big, swinging symbol of what psychologist Oliver James has labeled the ‘Affluenza Virus’.  Read More

By Manisha Thakor,  Personal Finance Expert for Women

Are you looking for creative ways to reign in your spending?  If so, here’s a tip I never thought I’d be giving you:  Buy a movie ticket… to see The Joneses.

What I love about this movie is that it hammers home a point that noted positive psychology (that’s fancy speak for “happiness”) researchers such as Daniel Gilbert, Martin Seligman, and Tal Ben-Shahar, have long highlighted:

Comparing yourself to others is tantamount to mental torture.

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By Dr. Linda Spedding, as published in Grant Thornton’s Women in Leadership: The Mascots of Change

Over the last two decades as an international lawyer Linda has spent a considerable time in the USA, Europe and India. Throughout her professional life she has carried out pro bono work and assisted an ethnic minority charity assisting women, children and the handicapped in particular.

Linda believes in the need for women’s empowerment. Through her experience as a practitioner over the last three decades, she considers that the evidence in favour of more female representation on the Boards of Companies, NGOs and in public life and institutions should be applied to enable improved and balanced governance that will enable enhanced sustainability in every way, bringing fresh perspectives and diversity of thinking and strategy. Recent statistics still demonstrate that while there are more female entrants in key sectors those at the top – and in positions of influence to make positive change – do show that the glass ceiling often still exists. Read More

By Sharon Benning-Prince,  Legal Counsel/Consultant - Sophia Consulting Limited

My understanding of trafficking in the modern age had always been limited and I believed that only women were trafficked for sexual bondage. Certainly trafficking is  not a new phenomenon – slavery has existed for centuries and often seen as a brutal injustice against people of an age gone by: however slavery/trafficking still exists in this modern age and is increasing globally.  With the opening of international borders, the forced trafficking of people and children is growing and contrary to my belief, and certainly many others, is not only specific to sexual exploitation of women but encompasses the exploitation of adults and children being used as domestic slaves or as cheap labour in regulated and unregulated sectors, such as agriculture, horticulture, marine farming, textiles, catering, construction, nail bars, care homes, and car washes, and in criminal ventures, such as cannabis cultivation and pirate DVD selling.  As the trafficking of people increases, how are government bodies addressing the issue?  Read More