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The rising power of female voices throughout history are celebrated in the first-ever issue of National Geographic produced by an all-female team

About time!                

The November issue of National Geographic Magazine marks a historic occasion - it is the first issue, in which all content (written and photographic) has been contributed by women. The single-topic issue powerfully looks at the rising power of female voices throughout history, celebrating the women around the world who fearlessly push boundaries.

In conjunction with the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, National Geographic exclusively reveals the 2019-2020 Women, Peace, and Security Index, which ranks 167 countries from best to worst places to be a woman. Using data and graphics to illustrate how women’s empowerment compares in different countries, the index measures women’s inclusion in society, their overall security and their exposure to discrimination based on factors such as employment, education, financial access, community safety, domestic violence and law-based discrimination. Norway ranks first, the United Kingdom came in at #7 and Yemen ranks last.

 

This month, National Geographic also highlights individual women of impact, such as Theresa Kachindamoto, who is the first female chief of the Southern Ngoni people and has terminated over 2,500 child marriages, sending the girls back into education. Joyce Banda is the first female president of Malawi and established the National Association of Business Women, ensuring they are granted financial independence in Malawi.

Additional features published in the issue include an in-depth look at women-in-combat, the different precautions and measures women in India have taken to improve their safety and existence in society, and an essay that shares real-life stories of women in STEM and the human consequences of gender-based discrimination.

 

The November issue also marks the beginning of a year of coverage across print, digital and broadcast platforms exploring the lives of women and the massive changes underway for girls and women around the globe. Using #NatGeoWomenofImpact they encourage others to share how the women in their lives have empowered them.

This month further sees the launch of WOMEN: The National Geographic Image Collection, a powerful new book showcasing iconic women around the world, celebrating and reflecting on where the world’s women have been, where they are now and where they are going. The book features 450 powerful photographs from the unparalleled National Geographic archives, spanning three centuries and more than 30 countries. It is a compelling, timely and richly diverse volume honouring groundbreaking women everywhere who’ve made it possible to say, definitely, that the future is female. Yaaaas.

 

For this special collection, National Geographic has asked a diverse array of women to speak about the biggest challenges they have overcome, their breakthrough moments and the changes that need to happen for a more inclusive future. These include Emma Gonzales (Activist), Christine Amanpour (Chief International Correspondent, CNN), Oprah Winfrey (Media Mogul) and Alicia Garza (Co-Founder, Black Lives Matter) amongst others.

Whilst it's been a long time coming, this is a momentous move in publishing and we're seriously here for it. Watch the official trailer of the National Geographic Women of Impact issue below: 

Scroll down to see some of the incredibly inspiring images from the shoot...

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Photo by Lynsey Addario @lynseyaddario | On today‘s battlefields, more women than ever are in the fight. Females are taking more active roles in militaries, serving on the front lines of armed conflicts and as peacekeepers in the world‘s hot spots. Marines have to be able to carry one another if necessary. Pictured above, USMC Cpl. Gabrielle Green hefts a fellow marine as they ready for deployment on a Navy ship at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Of the 38,000 recruits who enter the corps each year, about 3,500 are women—or, in USMC phrasing, “female marines.” This story is featured in the November special issue of @natgeo magazine, “Women: A Century of Change.” Nat Geo is celebrating women who fearlessly push boundaries and inspire the next generation of changemakers. Tune in October 22nd to catch our editor in chief, Susan Goldberg, on @goodmorningamerica.

A post shared by National Geographic(@natgeo) on Oct 26, 2019 at 3:35pm PDT

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Photo by Lynsey Addario @lynseyaddario | Danielle Kallmes, 19, pauses at the edge of the woods during the first morning of the Crucible, a 54-hour marathon of physical and emotional endurance. The Crucible tests what the marines have learned during their time training to become recruits to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina, the only place in the United States where women become Marines. For the next 11 weeks, these women would speak only in the third person, calling themselves “this recruit” instead of “I” to absolve all individuality. Today women make up 8 percent of the United States Marine Corps. To see more of my work, follow @lynseyaddario. Nat Geo is celebrating women who fearlessly push boundaries and inspire the next generation of changemakers. For a week, all of our posts and stories on @natgeo were photographed by women, about women. Use #NatGeoWomenofImpact to share how a woman in your life has empowered you.

A post shared by National Geographic(@natgeo) on Oct 29, 2019 at 11:36am PDT

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Photo by Nora Lorek @noralorek | Lea Kadi, 67, can often be found selling coffee while seated in the shadow of her house. In South Sudan, she worked as a midwife for 35 years. Now, with a handful of customers in the neighborhood, she makes less than one dollar a week. The civil war in South Sudan has displaced two million people. When refugees arrived to Uganda they carried their only possessions wrapped in milayas, embroidered sheets passed down for generations. Today in Bidibidi, the second largest refugee camp in the world, milayas are being sewn but there are few customers. Through the Milaya Project these women will be able to sell their art and transform their collectives into self-sufficient businesses. Follow @milayaproject for more information on how to support these women. Nat Geo is celebrating women who fearlessly push boundaries and inspire the next generation of changemakers. For a week, all of our posts and stories on @natgeo were photographed by women, about women. Use #NatGeoWomenofImpact to share how a woman in your life has empowered you.

A post shared by National Geographic(@natgeo) on Oct 26, 2019 at 3:38am PDT

[Via Glamour UK]

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