More Than A Magazine, A Movement
Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation.
This week, we cover President Jimmy Carter’s legacy, activist Fannie Lou Hamer receiving a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom, milestones in the U.S. Congress, the rising number of women serving in state-level governments, and the impact of the Jan. 6 insurrection on women members of Congress.
When doctors discovered a concerning spot during Martresa’s routine checkup, they urged her to come in immediately for further tests and treatment. But as a single mother caring for both her chronically ill mother and young daughter, Martresa faced an impossible choice. With no paid leave or caregiving support, seeking treatment meant potentially losing her job and health insurance. Like so many, she made the decision to put her family’s care before her own. A few years later, Martresa received an alarming cancer diagnosis—the consequence of a system that forces us to choose between work, caring for ourselves and caring for the people we love. It’s not a real choice at all.
The new Republican-dominated Congress has already begun preparations for debating new tax legislation, and Martresa’s story illuminates what’s at stake. Will the U.S. continue to enrich those whose wealth is already unimaginable, or will Congress invest in families and the care that families need in order to work?
For years, many have nicknamed January “Divorce Month” and the first working Monday as “Divorce Day,” as if floods of filings hit courthouses across the country right after the ball drops. But that’s not the case.
March is a bigger month for the D-word. August is nothing to sneeze at either, according to a study by the University of Washington. So what’s the big deal with January? You could say the first of the year pushes sideline spectators, who’ve watched others split, to start dipping their toes in the divorce waters. In the end, nearly 70 percent of divorces are initiated by women.
Republicans are once again denying election results after a defeat, subverting democracy to try to hold onto power.
This November, abortion-rights voters in North Carolina hoped to reelect Supreme Court justice Allison Riggs. She ran against Republican Judge Jefferson Griffin, who ruled in a case in 2023 that life begins at conception. Griffin and other Republicans are fighting to have more than 60,000 ballots thrown out, hoping that challenging thousands of voter registrations will help him gain the Supreme Court seat.
During the presidential campaign, Trump forcefully avowed he did not support a national abortion ban—a position consistent with two-thirds of the electorate—gloating instead that he was responsible for sending the issue back to the states where it belongs. He also distanced himself from the “virally unpopular” Project 2025—the far-right playbook for the next conservative administration.
However, warning signs suggest that Trump may have been pandering to the electorate on both scores. Notably, when his remarks on the campaign trail about a national ban are considered alongside his existing ties to Project 2025, his boast about returning control over abortion to the states may well prove to have been stopgap measure en route to a blanket ban, although perhaps by way of a back-channel strategy.
A former Trump official chillingly predicted that Trump’s track record of having “adopted the most pro-life policies of any administration in history … is the best evidence … you could have of what a second term might look like.’”
Last week, Iran confirmed the arrest and detention of journalist Cecilia Sala—a rare official statement coming from Iranian authorities. Sala is in Evin Prison, a facility synonymous with the systemic repression of dissent.
At Women Press Freedom, we have called for international condemnation and for European and international leaders to take immediate action toward Sala’s release.
For decades, research has indicated that mifepristone may be a safe and effective contraceptive, but no one has conducted a large clinical trial to produce the evidence required to form the basis for government approval of the drug for this use—until now.
Pioneering reproductive health advocate Dr. Rebecca Gomperts recently announced preliminary results of a large clinical trial in Moldova showing that a 50 mg dose of mifepristone is very effective as a weekly contraceptive pill.
This moment feels dangerous and daunting. But if history has taught us anything, it’s that we’ve walked this path before. The feminist movement—and Ms.—has learned to endure, to rise even when everything tells us to fall. We carry with us the stories of every inch gained—the right to vote, to earn our own income, to own property, to access education, to live with dignity. Each gain was earned, and every time they tried to bar the door, we found another way through.
This special edition of Ms.‘ “Keeping Score” highlights the feminist wins and milestones at the 2025 Golden Globes. From Nikki Glaser’s sharp, solo-hosted monologue that tackled sexism in Hollywood, to historic wins by women like Demi Moore, Karla Sofía Gascón and Fernanda Torres, the event marked a notable shift in celebrating diverse and older female talent. With awards for films like Emilia Pérez and Wicked, the night underscored progress in recognizing women’s contributions across genres.
Rewarding people who tried to ignite an insurrection turns the pardon power on its head.
Trump’s pardons are not about people and their communities—they are about personal loyalty to him. Trump summoned these individuals to the Capitol to support him and now he will pardon them to complete that transaction. Trump will use the pardon power to make it clear that violence and violation of the law can be forgiven in service to himself.