Today, as Gloria Steinem, herself, turns 90, I will not flatter her with compliments about how she still doesn’t look her age, or how considerate, clever and courageous she remains. What I’d like to do, instead, is celebrate her and the feminist movement she continues to devote her long life to, enabling me, and countless others of my generation to, as she once put it, “Live out the unlived lives of our mothers, because they were not able to become the unique people they were born to be.”
Category: Herstory
Coming to Broadway: ‘Suffs’ Explores the Struggle for Women’s Equality—One That’s Far From Over
We at Ms. magazine are counting the days until Suffs arrives on Broadway, following its sold-out, extended run at New York City’s Public Theater.
The show opens in 1913 as the women’s movement is heating up in the United States. Anchored by a cadre of suffragists—“Suffs,” as they call themselves—they are in relentless, creative pursuit of the right to vote. Reaching across and against generational, racial and class divides, these brilliant, flawed women manage to entertain and inspire.
(This essay is part of “The ERA Is Essential to Democracy” Women & Democracy collection.)
A Blueprint for a Stronger America in Coretta Scott King
Often overlooked when we think about Dr. King is the essential role his wife, Coretta Scott King, played to fortify his work. As we celebrate Women’s History Month, it is crucial to recognize the indomitable spirit of women like Coretta Scott King who carved a path for change in a time less forgiving, demonstrating the irreplaceable impact of feminine leadership. She was a warrior for social justice her entire life, whom we should remember and embody this month—and every month—in the ongoing journey to create a more equitable America.
SHE Se Puede: Honoring Latina Trailblazers Dolores Huerta, Jovita Idár and Rosie Casals
Throughout Women’s History Month, discover untold stories of incredible women.
This week: legendary labor activist Dolores Huerta; Mexican American journalist, activist, nurse and educator Jovita Idár; and tennis Grand Slam champion Rosie Casals.
The Women of the Winningest Team in Pro Football History
Amid a national backdrop of the call to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, the National Women’s Football League was founded as something of a gimmick. However, the league’s star team, the Toledo Troopers, emerged to challenge traditional gender roles and amass a win-loss record never before or since achieved in American football.
So Who Gets the Kids? Divorce in the Age of Equal Parenting
The Alice Hector–Robert Young divorce case epitomizes the impact of gendered parenting stereotypes held in custody cases. Is there a side feminists should take?
(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.)
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.)
Women Who Dissent: Remembering Lilly Ledbetter, Mary Edwards Walker and Anjali Forber-Pratt
Throughout Women’s History Month, discover untold stories of incredible women. This week: Lilly Ledbetter, namesake of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009; Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, one of the first female doctors in America and the only woman to win the Medal of Honor; and Dr. Anjali Forber-Pratt, a professional wheelchair racer and Paralympian medalist.
‘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.
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.