Solving the Great Pronoun Debate

The singular pronoun ‘they’ was widely accepted in written English until the end of the 18th century, when grammarians began attacking it. So ‘they’ isn’t new—it’s a return to venerable usage.

(For more ground-breaking stories like this, order 50 YEARS OF Ms.: THE BEST OF THE PATHFINDING MAGAZINE THAT IGNITED A REVOLUTION (Alfred A. Knopf)—a collection of the most audacious, norm-breaking coverage Ms. has published.)

Date Rape: The Story of an Epidemic and Those Who Deny It

Date rape is one of the most underreported crimes on college campuses. So much silence surrounds this kind of crime that many women are not even aware that they have been raped. In 1985, Ms. conducted a three-year study among college-aged women to learn more about their experiences.

(For more ground-breaking stories like this, order 50 YEARS OF Ms.: THE BEST OF THE PATHFINDING MAGAZINE THAT IGNITED A REVOLUTION (Alfred A. Knopf)—a collection of the most audacious, norm-breaking coverage Ms. has published.)

‘Dare to Be Fabulous’ Essay Collection: 30 Remarkable Women on Embracing Our True Selves

Each of the 30 essays in Dare to be Fabulous, by writer and editor Johanna McCloy, recounts a life-changing instance when women dared to be their true selves. The inciting moments are as unique as the women themselves—deciding to join a roller derby team, canceling a wedding at the last minute, or walking 3,000 miles to raise hell and make a point.

Spring 2024 Sneak Peek: Let Women Die?

In the latest print issue of Ms., reporter Belle Taylor-McGhee digs into a pending Supreme Court case brought by the Justice Department against Idaho on behalf of patients who need care at hospital emergency rooms due to pregnancy complications, arguing that the state’s law banning abortion at all stages of pregnancy violates the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA. The Supreme Court’s decision, expected in June or July, will determine the fate of women suffering potentially fatal pregnancy complications and will have life-or-death ramifications for women in any state with extreme abortion bans in place.

Here’s some of what else you’ll find within the pages of the upcoming Spring 2024 issue of Ms. magazine: how to mobilize men in service of progressive, liberal and feminist ideals; the importance of the ongoing battle against gerrymandering; Dr. Sima Samar on the status of women in Afghanistan, and more.

Join the Ms. community today and you’ll get issues delivered straight to your mailbox!

Lost Women: Harriet H. Robinson, An American Mill Girl 

Reclaiming the forgotten histories of women was the driving force behind Ms.‘ monthly column “Lost Women.” This Women’s History Month, we’re reviving the iconic series—diving into the archives to make these histories more accessible to our new age of Ms. readers.

This week: Harriet Robinson captured and preserved the fleeting golden age for female factory laborers—a unique period when the daughters of New England led the way in the transformation of America … and of themselves. 

From The Vault: We Have Had Abortions (Spring 1972)

In what The Washington Post says “changed the course of the abortion rights movement,” Ms. published “We Have Had Abortions” in its first issue, featuring the signatures of 53 prominent American women. Women who have had abortions have spoken out many times during the past 50 years, and millions of women and men have marched in countless rallies and demonstrations for abortion rights.

For more ground-breaking stories like this, order 
50 YEARS OF Ms.: THE BEST OF THE PATHFINDING MAGAZINE THAT IGNITED A REVOLUTION (Alfred A. Knopf)—a collection of the most audacious, norm-breaking coverage Ms. has published.

Calling All Feminist Students: Join the Young Feminist Leadership Conference in D.C. March 23-25

The Feminist Majority Foundation’s National Young Feminist Leadership Conference is returning to D.C. after four years. NYFLC hosts hundreds of high school and college students for an unforgettable weekend in Arlington, Va., right outside of Washington D.C. It’s the perfect place to learn about current political issues, hear from inspirational leaders, and meet fellow feminist students. This year’s NYFLC will be March 23-25, and applications are now open.

Reimagining Child Welfare: The Ms. Q&A with Dorothy Roberts, Host of Podcast ‘Torn Apart’

Professor Dorothy Roberts worked for decades to try to fix the child welfare system—but she came to the understanding that the system could not be fixed: It had to be abolished. Ms. sat down with her to discuss how abolishing the child welfare system is an issue of reproductive justice for women and their families, and the importance of educating about the injustices of the child welfare system.

All episodes of Torn Apart are available here or wherever you get your podcasts.

California’s New Gender-Neutral Toy Law Revives a 50-Year Feminist Fight

On Jan. 1, 2024, California will begin enforcing Assembly Bill 1084, a landmark bill in the movement for a more inclusive toy culture. Reinforcing the traditional gender binary through toys, for the first time in history, will be a civil offense. 

The impetus for the legislation is straight out of 1970s toy campaigns against gender-based marketing—like Ms. magazine’s “Toys for Free Children” and the Ms. Foundation’s “Free to Be … You and Me.”

2023’s Top 10 Most Memorable Moments From ‘On The Issues with Michele Goodwin’

2023 marked three years of On the Issues With Michele Goodwin, a fiercely feminist podcast about the most compelling issues of our time. This year, Goodwin brought us lawmakers, scholars and founders of movements and organizations that have defined how we think about fields like reproductive justice, care work and gun violence.

We selected some of the most powerful words heard on the podcast this year to propel us into 2024.