The World’s Most Powerful Women: September 15

The highlight of the Donald Trump campaign so far this week has been the introduction of his child care plan, which calls for six weeks of paid maternity leave. His proposal for paid leave is noteworthy because A. it would remove the U.S. from the lowest rung of paid maternity policies (the current law guarantees zero paid time off), and B. it’s coming from a Republican. In the U.S., conservatives have long resisted any mandatory time off for new moms since they see it as conflicting with the pillar of their orthodoxy that espouses a limited federal government.

Trump flouted that long-held stance in introducing his plan, which he did alongside his daughter, Ivanka Trump.

But American women can be forgiven for not being floored by his proposal—or Hillary Clinton’s for that matter. I compared the candidates’ plans to those in peer nations, and—surprise!—the proposals don’t fare very well.

@clairezillman

EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA

Another buh-bye at the BBC
In the same week the BBC lost the rights to Great British Bake Off, the chair of the BBC Trust Rona Fairhead said she will not reapply for the position, as requested by PM Theresa May. Fairhead, who spoke at Fortune's MPW Summit in London in June, was the first female chair when she got the job in 2014. David Cameron decided to keep Fairhead on in May, but the U.K.'s new administration wants to reopen the appointment process.BBC

Taking on Trump

IMF MD Christine Lagarde issued a subtle dig at Donald Trump yesterday in a speech about making globalization work for all. She characterized "politicians seeking office by promising to ‘get tough’ with foreign trade partners" as "growing risks." She said this trend is "deeply concerning" since "trade has been at the heart of the IMF’s mandate for more than 70 years."

Guardian

THE AMERICAS

Health care for caregivers

Care.com, an online marketplace for connecting families with caregivers, introduced a plan to provide workers who use its platform with up to $500 a year for health care, transportation, or education expenses. It's one of the earliest efforts to bring employee benefits to workers in the gig-economy.

New York Times

Forward-thinking foodies

Fortune and sister publication Food & Wine announced the third annual list of Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink, which features 20 entrepreneurs, activists, and idealists making a mark up and down the food chain.

Fortune

ASIA-PACIFIC

Japan's woman moment

If Renho Murata wins the contest to become the first woman to lead Japan's opposition Democratic Party today, she will be the third woman to assume a high-profile political post in the country in less than two months. Those three women—Renho, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, and Defense Minister Tomomi Inada—will be in positions considered stepping stones to the prime ministership, a noteworthy moment in Japan that's long overdue.

New York Times

Getting it done

Aung San Suu Kyi's visit to the U.S. that WMPW highlighted yesterday did in fact result in a plan to lift sanctions against Myanmar.

BBC