Columns & Series

In which we explore everything from politics to pop culture to peace-keeping—on a regular basis.

  • Abortion Is Essential to Democracy

    Abortion Is Essential to Democracy

    After S.B. 8 went into effect in Texas, and following the Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling allowing its enforcement, staff from across the Brennan Center for Justice came together to show solidarity, express outrage, and articulate a response. That morphed into an electrifying brainstorm with Ms., the result of which is captured in an array of essays: Abortion Is Essential to Democracy. (This series was a prototype for the later-established Women & Democracy platform—multimedia projects published quarterly together with a dedicated partner, that focuses on key issues impacting full and fair representation.)

  • Backsliding Democracies

    Backsliding Democracies

    Can a country that has never truly addressed women’s equality ever be a thriving democracy? And are democracies that have abysmal records on gender equity destined to falter? For this installment of Women & Democracy, we joined forces with NYU Law’s Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network and Rewire News Group to create Women’s Rights and Backsliding Democracies—a combination of in-person events, audio and video recordings, podcasts, essays and more.

  • Beyond Roe: The Fight for Our Future

    Beyond Roe: The Fight for Our Future

    In this Women & Democracy installment, Ms. joined with law and policy experts at the Center for Reproductive Rights to publish Beyond Roe: The Fight for Our Futurea series of essays, podcast and video content that explores the legal fight after the Supreme Court issued its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

  • Black Feminist in Public

    Black Feminist in Public

    Black Feminist in Public is a series of conversations between creative Black women and Janell Hobson, a Ms. scholar whose work focuses on the intersections of history, popular culture and representations of women of African descent.

  • Critical Race Theory Primer and Curriculum Guide

    Critical Race Theory Primer and Curriculum Guide

    The Journey to Justice: A Critical Race Theory Primer—a joint initiative between Ms. magazine, the National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA) and the Karson Institute for Race, Peace & Social Justice—includes articles, essays, lesson plans, an annotated bibliography and a COMloquium conversation that addresses and examines the perils of teaching critical race theory from kindergarten to college settings.

  • Demystifying Cybersecurity

    Demystifying Cybersecurity

    It will take a paradigm shift to defend our national security moving forward. Women and people of color should be at the forefront of this effort. Demystifying Cybersecurity, a #ShareTheMicInCyber and Ms. monthly series, spotlights women from the #ShareTheMicInCyber movement—highlighting the experiences of Black practitioners, driving a critical conversation on race in the cybersecurity industry, and shining a light on Black experts in their fields.

  • Feminist Journalism Is Essential to Democracy

    Feminist Journalism Is Essential to Democracy

    In the decades since Ms. magazine was launched, and in the face of a constantly-evolving media landscape, the need for feminist-focused news coverage and perspective has perhaps never been greater than it is today. With this installment of Women & Democracy, we are proud to partner with the International Women’s Media Foundation, an essential resource for strengthening the twin goals of gender equity and press freedom worldwide. Our shared grounding principle: Journalists can and must boldly, unequivocally center women’s lives and feminist perspectives.

  • Feminist Know-It-All

    Feminist Know-It-All

    Gender and women’s studies librarian Karla Strand—our resident Feminist Know-It-All—carves out space in her column with Ms. to explore feminist knowledge creation, access, use and preservation; innovative projects and initiatives focused on information, literacies and libraries; and, of course, talk about all of the books.

  • The Feminist Lens

    The Feminist Lens

    The Feminist Lens series offers an inside look into the world of film-making and media production through conversations between women in the film, television and digital media industry and Aviva Dove-Viebahn, a Ms. scholar and professor who writes about gender and race in popular culture.

  • From the Vault

    From the Vault

    To pay tribute to five decades of reporting, rebelling and truth-telling, Ms.’s series From the Vault includes some of our favorite feminist classics from the last 50 years of Ms.

  • Front and Center

    Front and Center

    Front and Center puts front and center the voices of Black women affected most by the often-abstract policies currently debated at the national level. It highlights Springboard to Opportunities’ Magnolia Mother’s Trust program, which gives $1,000 per month for 12 months to 100 families headed by Black women living in federally subsidized housing. The first-person accounts in this series are available for reprint.

  • The Future Is <em>Ms.</em>

    The Future Is Ms.

    The Future is Ms. are news reports by young feminists made possible by a grant from SayItForward.org in support of teen journalists, in which editor Katina Paron brings young voices from the frontlines to the forefront.

  • Keeping Score

    Keeping Score

    In every issue of Ms., we track our progress with numbers, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too, in this biweekly round-up.

  • The Majority Rules

    The Majority Rules

    A Women & Democracy installment: The Majority Rules are a set of rules that value all of us—our bodies, our lives and our work. Featuring art from artist Molly Crabapple, The Majority Rules is an artful video and essay series created by Supermajority Education Fund, which marks an essential step toward achieving gender equality. Movement leaders articulate five key rules and the values they reflect—safety, respect, autonomy, full and fair representation. Among the multiracial, intergenerational community of contributors: Stephanie Beatriz, Amanda Brown Lierman, Alicia Garza, Mariska Hargitay, Ai-jen Poo, Cecile Richards, Reshma Saujani and others.

  • <em>Ms.</em> Global

    Ms. Global

    The U.S. ranks as the 19th most dangerous country for women, 11th in maternal mortality, 30th in closing the gender pay gap, 75th in women’s political representation, and painfully lacks paid family leave and equal access to health care. But Ms. has always understood: Feminist movements around the world hold answers to some of the U.S.’s most intractable problems. Ms. Global is taking note of feminists worldwide.

  • <em>Ms.</em> Muse

    Ms. Muse

    Ms. Muse is a discovery place for riotous, righteous and resonant feminist poetry that nourishes and gives voice to a rising tide of female resistance—brought to you by Ms. digital columnist Chivas Sandage.

  • Our Abortion Stories

    Our Abortion Stories

    Our Abortion Stories chronicles readers’ experiences of abortion pre- and post-Roe. Abortions are sought by a wide range of people, for many different reasons. There is no single story. Telling stories of then and now shows how critical abortion has been and continues to be for women and girls. Share your story by emailing myabortionstory@msmagazine.com.

  • The Story Behind Her

    The Story Behind Her

    Women journalists have always been at the forefront of change—so as the U.S. faces compounding crises, it’s no surprise that women journalists are stepping up to bring truth to the public. During Women’s History Month 2021, the International Women’s Media Foundation and Ms. began spotlighting women journalists who are making the news media stronger, more diverse and equitable. But their work didn’t end on March 31—and neither does ours. Change starts with recognizing the people behind the byline. Join us and the IWMF to learn The Story Behind Her.

  • Turning 50

    Turning 50

  • Reads for the Rest of Us

    Reads for the Rest of Us

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

  • "Reports of the ERA’s Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated”

    A multi-part series examining the half-century fight to add women to the U.S. Constitution.

  • Today in Feminist History

    Today in Feminist History

    Today in Feminist History uncovers the major milestones and minor advancements that shaped women’s history in the U.S. It’s made possible by the encyclopedic knowledge of our late staff historian and archivist, David Dismore.

  • Tubman 200: The Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Project

    Tubman 200: The Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Project

    #Tubman200 is a six-week, multi-platform project honoring Harriet Tubman’s extraordinary legacy—200 years after her birth. The Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Project pays tribute to this feminist icon with a special commemorative issue through Ms. online and in print. Explore the interactive groundbreaking site here.

  • The War on Women Report

    The War on Women Report

    U.S. patriarchal authoritarianism is on the rise, and democracy is on the decline. But day after day, we stay vigilant in our goals to dismantle patriarchy at every turn. The fight is far from over. We are watching, and we refuse to go back. This is the War on Women Report.

  • We Heart

    We Heart

  • Weekend Reading on Women's Representation

    Weekend Reading on Women's Representation

    Brought to you by Cynthia Richie Terrell, founder and executive director of RepresentWomen, Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation in politics, on boards, in sports and entertainment, in judicial offices and in the private sector in the U.S. and around the world—with a little gardening and goodwill mixed in for refreshment!

  • Women Unscrewing Screwnomics

    Women Unscrewing Screwnomics

    It’s time to talk about women’s economics with attitude. It’s time to laugh at what is often absurd and call out what is dangerous. Women Unscrewing Screwnomics will bring you news of hopeful and practical changes and celebrate an economy waged as life—not as war.

  • Women Saving Democracy

    Women Saving Democracy

    In this Women & Democracy installment, aptly named Women Saving Democracy, we take a deep dive into the very state of our nation’s systems of justice and democracy; we explore how women’s leadership makes a difference; and we assess what kinds of reforms could ensure more fair representation and democratic outcomes. We’re proud to feature a diverse slate of powerhouse women who serve in an array of roles—as attorneys general, secretaries of state, and local election officials, from across the country and representing both parties—through reported pieces, their own firsthand accounts, pre-recorded video events, and Ms. Studios podcast episodes.