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The Changing Lives Of Women
Janet Timal, 47 (right), stands with her niece Thairine, 21. Janet has had a tummy tuck and breast augmentation and helped her niece pay for liposuction. "The ideal is to be able to put something on, to sit down and not have your belly jumping out. Here in Brazil it gets hot, and the less clothes, the better," says Janet.

Janet Timal, 47 (right), stands with her niece Thairine, 21. Janet has had a tummy tuck and breast augmentation and helped her niece pay for liposuction. "The ideal is to be able to put something on, to sit down and not have your belly jumping out. Here in Brazil it gets hot, and the less clothes, the better," says Janet. Jimmy Chalk for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Jimmy Chalk for NPR

Parallels

In Brazil, Nips And Tucks Don't Raise An Eyebrow

Brazil has surpassed the U.S. as the world capital of plastic surgery. All this cosmetic enhancement is widely embraced in a country where women flaunt, rather than hide, having work done.

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Jean Jennings (left) and Frances Bilas set up the ENIAC in 1946. Bilas is arranging the program settings on the Master Programmer.

Jean Jennings (left) and Frances Bilas set up the ENIAC in 1946. Bilas is arranging the program settings on the Master Programmer. Courtesy of University of Pennsylvania hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of University of Pennsylvania

All Tech Considered

The Forgotten Female Programmers Who Created Modern Tech

The Innovators, Walter Isaacson's new book, tells the stories of the people who created modern computers. Women, who are now a minority in computer science, played an outsize role in that history.

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Acting Social Security Commissioner Carolyn Colvin at a news conference last year. She says women need to start saving for retirement early in their careers.

Acting Social Security Commissioner Carolyn Colvin at a news conference last year. She says women need to start saving for retirement early in their careers. Charles Dharapak/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Charles Dharapak/AP

Social Security Chief: Women Live Longer, So They Should Save Early

For women, lower average career earnings translate into smaller Social Security payments. Acting Social Security Commissioner Carolyn Colvin says women shouldn't wait to start saving for retirement.

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The R.C. Jewelry Store in New Delhi. Indian women have always treasured gold for its beauty and for providing a measure of social security. Today it is also being used to give them a larger say in the family's finances.

The R.C. Jewelry Store in New Delhi. Indian women have always treasured gold for its beauty and for providing a measure of social security. Today it is also being used to give them a larger say in the family's finances. Julie McCarthy/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Julie McCarthy/NPR

Parallels

A Gold Obsession Pays Dividends For Indian Women

Gold is not just about ornamentation in India. It's an insurance policy against bad economic times and bad marriages. Enterprising Indian women are using it to get loans to start small businesses.

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Sallie Krawcheck speaks onstage at the Pennsylvania Conference for Women last year. She says when it comes to negotiating salary, "men ask and women don't."

Sallie Krawcheck speaks onstage at the Pennsylvania Conference for Women last year. She says when it comes to negotiating salary, "men ask and women don't." Lisa Lake/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Lisa Lake/Getty Images

Former Bank Executive: Women, Ask For A Raise!

As leader of the women's network 85 Broads, Sallie Krawcheck lobbies for better gender equality in boardrooms. She also says women need to negotiate tougher to get there.

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Alicia Villanueva gives change to a customer at Off the Grid, a weekly street-food market in San Francisco.

Alicia Villanueva gives change to a customer at Off the Grid, a weekly street-food market in San Francisco. Sarah Peet /Sarah Peet Photography hide caption

itoggle caption Sarah Peet /Sarah Peet Photography

Code Switch

Lending Circles Help Latinas Pay Bills And Invest

Participants in these social networks pool their money to give each other informal, no-interest loans. They're called cundinas or tandas, and politicians are taking notice.

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In Blue Jasmine, Cate Blanchett plays a wealthy New York socialite who has it all, loses it all and ends up delusional on a park bench.

In Blue Jasmine, Cate Blanchett plays a wealthy New York socialite who has it all, loses it all and ends up delusional on a park bench. Perdido Productions hide caption

itoggle caption Perdido Productions

When Planning For The Future, Women Have Been Hands Off

Women earn more than ever but their attitude about investing hasn't kept pace. They lack confidence, experts say, and fear they, like Cate Blanchett's character in Blue Jasmine, will run out of money.

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International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde in Brussels earlier this year. Lagarde says women are underutilized in the global economy.

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde in Brussels earlier this year. Lagarde says women are underutilized in the global economy. Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP

IMF's Lagarde: Women In Workforce Key To Healthy Economies

Christine Lagarde says giving women access to the job market isn't just about equal opportunity — it makes economic sense. In an interview, she also reflects on being the only woman in the room.

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Our Women and Wealth series will involve you, too. We're asking women to share their best lessons about earning, saving, investing or using money. The above quote comes from Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. You can see more from her, and other influential women, and add your two cents at our Tumblr, She Works Her Money.

Our Women and Wealth series will involve you, too. We're asking women to share their best lessons about earning, saving, investing or using money. The above quote comes from Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. You can see more from her, and other influential women, and add your two cents at our Tumblr, She Works Her Money. NPR hide caption

itoggle caption NPR

Women And Wealth: Local To Global Money Lessons

In the weeks leading up to Tax Day on April 15, NPR will explore the topic of women and wealth. The stories and conversations will cover working, investing and sharing lessons about money.

Dressed in the black and neon orange colors of the new transit police, these women are slated to replace a force of notoriously corrupt traffic cops in Mexico State.

Dressed in the black and neon orange colors of the new transit police, these women are slated to replace a force of notoriously corrupt traffic cops in Mexico State. Edith Chapin/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Edith Chapin/NPR

Mexican State's Anti-Corruption Plan: Hire Female Traffic Cops

In the central State of Mexico, authorities are trying a new approach to fight corruption: replacing notoriously crooked male traffic cops with women. But the state hasn't authorized the female force to issue tickets yet, and some question whether women will avoid bribery any more than men.

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