The New Misogyny, Violent Extremism and What It Will Take to Stop It: RSVP for a Live Conversation (Online or in L.A.)

PUBLISHED 1/24/2026 by

Across ideologies, the clearest and most consistent predictor of mass shootings is not political extremism alone—it is rising gendered grievances, patriarchal backlash, and perpetrators’ histories of gender-based violence and misogyny.

That is the focus of Miller-Idriss’ groundbreaking new book, Man Up: The New Misogyny and the Rise of Violent Extremism.

On Feb. 18, 2026, Miller-Idriss and Ms. executive editor Kathy Spillar will explore how misogyny fuels radicalization, how gender-based grievances are weaponized by extremist movements, and why confronting patriarchy is essential to preventing future violence. Join us in person or online.

A Catch-22 for Survivors of Domestic Violence: Trump Admin Simultaneously Slashes Housing and VAWA Funds

PUBLISHED 1/23/2026 by

Federally underfunded programs that support survivors of domestic violence have struggled to provide services for years. Now, the Trump administration’s budget bill threatens to sever the last lifelines many women’s shelters were clinging to: funding for the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care programs. 

Thanks to callous indifference from Republican lawmakers, obliterating women’s emergency services will leave the blood of women and children across the nation on their hands. In the U.S., domestic violence is typically treated with band-aid solutions rather than infrastructural change that would decrease need for places like shelters—something most lawmakers have never relied on themselves.

How We Build a Better System: Celebrating Ranked-Choice Voting Day

PUBLISHED 1/23/2026 by

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation in politics, sports and entertainment, judicial offices and the private sector—with a little gardening mixed in!

This week:
—Friday marks is Ranked-Choice Voting Day, an annual event held every Jan. 23 (1-2-3) to celebrate a proven, people-powered reform that strengthens democracy by giving voters more choice and candidates a fairer path to office. 
—Steven Hill and Paul Haughey call a 2023 study from the University of Minnesota repeatedly cited by opponents of ranked-choice voting “one of the most error-prone” they encountered—relying heavily on cherry-picked citations, simulated elections and surveys disconnected from how voters actually behave in real contests. 
—We honor the life and legacy of Claudette Colvin, an icon of the Civil Rights Movement.
—The Vermont Voting Rights Act seeks to codify key federal voting protections in the state.
—Portland reaches an important compromise in their City Council elections.

… and more.

‘Every Vote Counts’: What Women Leaders Know About Fixing Broken Political Systems—From Iceland to Washington

PUBLISHED 1/23/2026 by

At the Reykjavík Global Forum on Women Leaders in Iceland, women political leaders gathered with warmth and purpose to confront the most pressing challenges of our time.

We talked about democracy, leadership, activism and power-building. We talked about fear. About childcare. About boys who aren’t sure where they fit in this “new” world. About deadlines and death threats, ranked-choice voting—and the deeper reasons why they keep doing this work despite the challenges.

Amid those conversations, three interviews in particular stayed with me: Liz Berry, a Washington state representative who campaigned with a 6-week-old baby; Eliza Reid, Iceland’s former first lady and author of Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland’s Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World; and Alison Comyn, an Irish journalist-turned-senator from a country that’s used proportional representation—a form of ranked-choice voting—for generations.

Taken together, their stories sketch a kind of roadmap: how we change the rules, how we change ourselves and how we do this work together. They also leave us with a question: Could my city, state or party pilot a system where “every vote counts,” and more than two parties can breathe? And, if so, how can I help make that change a reality?

Move Over, Childless Cat Ladies—The Right Has a New Woman to Hate

PUBLISHED 1/22/2026 by

The right-wing manosphere has quickly absorbed the lexicon of AWFUL: “Affluent White Female Urban Liberals.” Move over childless cat ladies, there is a new broad in town.

The movement hell-bent on extolling the virtues of tradwife life has now set its sights on “organized gangs of wine moms us[ing] Antifa tactics to harass and impede” ICE, according to the talking heads at Fox News.

Sigh, MAGA. There you go again, mangling the plotline. Don’t you know? Motherhood has always been political, embedded in acts of resistance, from Reconstruction to women’s suffrage through the rise of the Civil Rights Movement.

‘Each of Us Has the Right to Define the Future’: Soraya Chemaly Takes Aim at Male Supremacy, Calls for Feminist Imagination

PUBLISHED 1/22/2026 by

Soraya Chemaly’s latest book, All We Want Is Everything: How We Dismantle Male Supremacy, is the manifesto we need for this current moment—a fascinating and infuriating exploration of the ways in which systems of male supremacy are hurting all of us, and how we can collectively chart courses to liberation.

Who Controls Mifepristone? The Politics Blocking a New Era of Contraception

PUBLISHED 1/22/2026 by

Mifepristone “works against endometriosis. It works against myoma [fibroids]. We are now involved in a study group that looks at whether it can prevent breast cancer,” says pioneering reproductive-health advocate Dr. Rebecca Gomperts. “It has so many potential uses, and it hasn’t been [developed].

“If we as women don’t make sure that it becomes available to meet our needs … then it won’t happen.”

This is the final installment of a new series, “The Moral Property of Women: How Antiabortion Politics Are Withholding Medical Care,” a serialized version of the Winter 2026 print feature article.

Abortion Access Can’t Depend on Rage Donations

PUBLISHED 1/21/2026 by and

Now, almost three and a half years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the numbers are clear that abortion in the U.S. has, to the shock of most, continued to rise. But we also have data showing that a small but not trivial number of people are continuing their pregnancies to birth due to abortion bans. To us, what this shows is clear: that overturning Roe has prompted ingenuity, persistence, and resistance among providers and patients but is also leaving many people behind. Ultimately, this is no way to deliver healthcare.

The provision of healthcare—and abortion is healthcare—must be publicly supported in order to be equitable and accessible. When this assistance relies on inconsistent large-scale private donations, as well as the almost-supernatural work of abortion providers and supporters, it’s no wonder that some people are slipping through the cracks, even while abortion numbers are rising.

Women Are Being Priced Out of Health Coverage—and Congress Knows It

PUBLISHED 1/21/2026 by

With the 2026 Affordable Care Act (ACA) open enrollment period now closed, millions of Americans are facing an uncomfortable new reality: higher monthly costs for the health coverage they already struggled to afford.

When health insurance becomes unaffordable, women don’t just absorb the cost. They make sacrifices—often at the expense of their health. They end up skipping preventive services, delaying medical tests, forgoing mental healthcare, and leaving prescriptions unfilled. The consequences can be severe: delayed diagnoses, worsened health outcomes, poorer quality of life, and higher costs down the road for families and the health system.

Unable to wait for Congress to act to extend the credits, the vast majority of Americans have already made their health insurance decisions for 2026. With the enrollment deadline passed, women have had to make decisions based on what they can afford right now—not on promises that may never materialize.

Mifepristone Could Treat Endometriosis, Some Cancers, Depression and Chronic Illness—If Politics Didn’t Interfere

PUBLISHED 1/21/2026 by

Across a range of conditions that disproportionately affect women, research into mifepristone’s potential has been slowed, defunded or blocked altogether. Nowhere is that clearer than in the treatment of endometriosis and other serious illnesses that leave millions of women in chronic pain.

Endometriosis—when endometrium cells grow outside the uterus—afflicts an estimated 10 percent of reproductive-age women. It can lead to chronic pelvic and back pain, heavy or abnormal bleeding, pain during sex or bowel movements, fatigue, bloating, digestive issues, infertility, anxiety and depression.

Mifepristone can help—it blocks the progesterone causing the cellular growth and decreases the size of existing endometrial lesions, thereby relieving painful symptoms. But antiabortion politics have obstructed the development of the medication for these uses in the U.S.

Researchers have also produced studies showing mifepristone is effective for treating ovarian and breast cancer, chronic inflammatory diseases, and several psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychotic depression.

This is Part 2 of 3 in a new series, “The Moral Property of Women: How Antiabortion Politics Are Withholding Medical Care,” a serialized version of the Winter 2026 print feature article.