IOWA

Every city in the Des Moines metro area will have at least one woman in an elected position after this month’s municipal election. Des Moines Register

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst is proposing a bipartisan bill to amend the Family and Medical Leave Act to ensure married couples who work for the same employer are not restricted in the amount of leave they can take under the law. Des Moines Business Record

There’s now an escape from life’s hustle and bustle on one of Clear Lake’s busiest streets. That’s thanks to Darcee Johanns, of Mason City, who opened Holistic Harmony in October. Mason City Globe Gazette

NATION

The biggest Silicon Valley companies have responded to complaints about unequal pay by disclosing the gaps between men and women doing similar work. But not Oracle Corp. Bloomberg

The most diverse companies tend to have an advantage in terms of operating results and shareholder value, according to an analysis by the Wall Street Journal.

Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, the widow of U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, has resigned as Maryland’s Democratic Party chair to run for her late husband’s congressional seat. Time

A recently published study by a Washington think tank indicates that women in public office — or those seeking it, whether in the United States or abroad — are increasingly bypassing traditional media, relying instead on social media to bolster their image and broadcast their message in a more nuanced and unfiltered way. Voice of America