Ms. Global: South Korea Approves Abortion Pills; Anti-Femicide Protests in Cameroon; 50K Women and Girls Killed or Injured in Gaza in Three Years; and More

PUBLISHED 11/4/2026 by and

The U.S. ranks as the 31st most dangerous country for women, 55th in maternal mortality, 43rd in closing the gender pay gap, 84th in women’s political representation, and painfully lacks paid family leave and equal access to healthcare. But Ms. has always understood: Feminist movements around the world hold answers to some of the U.S.’ most intractable problems. Ms. Global is taking note of feminists worldwide.

This month:
—South Korea is set to approve abortion pills for public use the first time next year.
—Women political prisoners face torture and other abuses in Myanmar, warns Human Rights Watch.
—Nearly 50,000 women and girls have been killed or severely injured in Gaza in the past three years.
—Somalia approves bill to strengthen rights for abuse victims after a decade of negotiations.
—Gen Z is helping organize India’s pro-democracy protests.

… and more.

The Marcia Ann Gillespie I Remember: A 60-Year Friendship Forged at the Dawn of Two Journalism Careers

PUBLISHED 11/4/2026 by

Marcia and I first met in 1966 at Time-Life Books, our first jobs after college. We didn’t know each other, because we worked in different research departments at opposite ends of the same floor in the big Time-Life Inc. building.

One day I was exploring the territory, and I stumbled upon this young Black woman hard at work at her desk. “Hello,” I said tentatively. Marcia looked up with surprise and a smile broke out on her face as we introduced ourselves. We were no longer “the only ones.”

From that day, we became close friends.

Marcia’s mother, Ethel Gillespie, was a successful caterer on Long Island, and at our annual Christmas dinner gathering, Marcia could be counted on to proudly share her mother’s cherished recipes. Marcia learned to prepare her food with the same meticulous legacy that she applied to life—no shortcuts.

Women Will Hold at Least One-Third of Governorships—A New Record. Now Let’s Make It Last.

PUBLISHED 11/4/2026 by

One in three. That’s how many of the nation’s governors will be women next year. At least 17 women will lead states in 2027, breaking the previous record of 14, set in 2025. Every woman seeking reelection won.

It was a historic night for women, and one worth celebrating. But it’s worth asking why, in 2026, we’re still counting firsts—and what it will take to make this the new floor rather than the high-water mark.

Marcia Ann Gillespie Was My Hero. Then She Became My Friend.

PUBLISHED 11/4/2026 by

Marcia Ann Gillespie was my dear friend for 40 years, but long before that, she was my inspiration.

She is rightly remembered as an influential political and social critic, a women’s and civil rights advocate, and the provocative editor-in-chief of Essence and Ms. magazines. To me, Marcia was all of that and—as she would say—a bag of chips.

In 1970, when Marcia joined Essence magazine as managing editor, I was an undergraduate at the University of Missouri in Columbia. At the time, Black students were an unwelcome bit of chocolate in a very large vat of vanilla. In response, we organized the Legion of Black Collegians. Our goal was to compel the university to hire Black faculty, introduce courses addressing the historical and contemporary lives and concerns of Black people, and confront the racism and bigotry we frequently experienced from both teachers and fellow students.

We raised our fists, marched and chanted, but many of us had not yet learned how to apply “I’m Black and I’m Proud” to ourselves as women. Then came Marcia Ann Gillespie and Essence magazine.

Rest in Power, Marcia Ann Gillespie: The Trailblazing Editor Who Transformed Women’s Media

PUBLISHED 11/3/2026 by

Marcia Ann Gillespie, an innovator and pathbreaker in media who lifted up the voices of Black women in a field dominated by men, died on Saturday, Oct. 31. She was 82.

Heralded for breaking barriers in journalism, she was an inspiring writer, revered editor and thought leader. She came of age in media leadership in the wake of the horrific assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., amid the lingering Vietnam War. It was an era defined by the rise of Black power and Black love movements, but also by the killings of student protesters at Kent State University.

Gillespie was born on July 10, 1944, in Rockville Centre, N.Y., to entrepreneurial, hardworking parents. After graduating from Lake Forest College in Illinois, she returned to New York to work at Time-Life Books, which was bustling and rapidly expanding at the time, with publications spanning nature, art, food and more.

Her remarkable path at Essence began in 1970, when she joined the new magazine as managing editor. Just a year later, in 1971, she became editor-in-chief at age 26, shortly after a group of Black entrepreneurs invested in the idea that Black women were eager for a magazine that would embrace their culture, lifestyle and experiences.

After a decade at Essence, she joined Ms. magazine in 1980, first as a contributing writer and editor, then as an executive editor, before taking the helm as editor-in-chief from 1993 to 2001. She became the first Black woman to lead the magazine.

Before the Gender Gap Had a Name, Ms. Saw Women’s Political Power Coming: Six Stories From the Archives on the Power of Women Voters

PUBLISHED 11/3/2026 by

A record 590 women filed to run for the U.S. House during the 2026 election cycle. Women candidates are also poised to make history in gubernatorial races across the country: Deb Haaland could become the nation’s first Native American woman governor in New Mexico, while Keisha Lance Bottoms could become the first Black woman governor in U.S. history if elected in Georgia.

Yet women still hold only about 28 percent of seats in Congress. And the stakes of this election—from reproductive freedom and immigration enforcement, to voting rights and the future of constitutional equality—extend far beyond the number of women elected.

For more than five decades, Ms. has documented the growing power of women voters, candidates and elected officials. We’ve tracked the gender gap, challenged the barriers facing women in politics and explored what it would mean to build a democracy that represents all of us.

These six selections from the Ms. Archive trace that history—from the earliest predictions of women’s political power, to today’s calls to fundamentally remake American democracy. (Full access to these selections and the entirety of 50+ years of issues of Ms. is available via the Ms. Magazine Archive on ProQuest, from Clarivate.)

November 2026 Reads for the Rest of Us

PUBLISHED 11/2/2026 by

Each month, Ms. provides readers with a list of new books being published by writers from historically excluded groups.

Enjoy November’s 13 recommended Reads for the Rest of Us! 

December will bring the month’s recommendations and the annual “Best of the Rest,” where I will also offer a few words about the feminist giants we’ve lost this year.

January will highlight the books I’m most excited about for 2027 and will include a bit about how I’m navigating artificial intelligence in this work.

Missouri Voters Already Said Yes to Abortion Rights in 2024. Will Lawmakers Listen in 2026?

PUBLISHED 11/2/2026 by , and

Two years ago, Missouri voters approved a constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights, overturning one of the nation’s strictest abortion bans. Now, they’re being asked to undo it.

Feminists and reproductive healthcare advocates urge Missourians to vote no on Amendment 3.

Meanwhile, voters in Idaho, Nevada and Virginia are considering measures to protect or expand abortion rights.

Ms. spoke to Hannah Ledford, executive director of the nonprofit Fairness Project, about what these midterms mean for abortion rights. The Fairness Project works on ballot measures around the country on issues including minimum wage, paid sick days and Medicaid expansion.