Child Care Archives - Ms. Magazine

Why Is the Senate Failing To Build Back Better? Blame Sexism

Build Back Better is not just about what’s right. It’s about what’s necessary to keep our country from falling apart at the seams. If we don’t mitigate climate change now, climate disasters will become more frequent, and more deadly and destructive. If we don’t build a strong childcare system, parents won’t be able to go to work, and we will lose skills and experience, as well as huge chunks of the labor force.

Without BBB, we’re losing not just a move toward equity, health and well-being—but also the chance at lasting prosperity.

The U.S. Is in Urgent Need of Childcare Solutions. Build Back Better Would Be a Game-Changer

Nina Perez

The U.S. has not prioritized childcare. Even before the pandemic, many families could not find childcare when and where they needed it. More than half of all families lived in childcare deserts, and those who didn’t faced exorbitant prices. That’s gotten even worse during the COVID-19 pandemic. For those who can afford childcare, extremely high prices take a toll—many families pay more than mortgage payments or rent for care. It’s unacceptable.

The Build Back Better Act will be a game-changer for parents across the nation, lowering prices and increasing the supply of high-quality care at the same time.

A Supreme Court Decision Limiting Access to Abortion Could Harm the Economy and Women’s Well-Being

Michele Gilman

Politicians cannot promise to grow the economy and simultaneously limit access to abortion, birth control and sexual education. America’s economic health and women’s reproductive health are linked.

Feminist Wishes for 2022: “We Were Never Meant To Do This Work Alone”

Martha Garbarini

As 2021 comes to a close, Ms. asked some of our favorite feminists—from abortion activists and providers to climate crisis specialists and environmentalists—what they see as top priorities and what changes they’re hoping for in 2022.

“Ms. readers: We are the answer—the future we’ve been waiting for! And that begins right now, on the eve of 2022.”

15 Moms on What a Year of Guaranteed Income Meant to Them and Their Families

Katie Fleischer

Throughout this year, Ms. has highlighted the voices of low-income Black moms in the Front and Center series, working to center those affected by the intersections of poverty, racism and sexism. Here’s how guaranteed income has shaped the lives of 15 low-income families.

Respectability Politics (and Joe Manchin) Are Killing Us

Jhumpa Bhattacharya

In a confounding move, Sen. Joe Manchin decided to derail the Build Back Better bill in a Fox News appearance Sunday night. It’s not difficult to prove how wrong Manchin and the 50 GOP senators opposed to Build Back Better are. But how do we enact progress when 51 people can stand in the way of what the majority of us want?

Build Back Better Is in Peril. Low-income Families Can’t Afford To Lose It

Katie Fleischer

As families hope Democratic leadership will find a different path to pass Build Back Better policies like childcare or paid leave, another revolutionary policy is just beginning to enter mainstream awareness: guaranteed income.

Guaranteed income involves regular payments directed to specific marginalized groups, as a way to address economic inequities caused by systemic racism and sexism. Economic justice organizations like the Magnolia Mother’s Trust argue that a federal guaranteed income program would not just help low-income families pay their bills, but also reduce financial stress and set their families up for long-term success.

The Most-Read Ms. Stories of 2021

Roxy Szal

Ms. readers are fed up. You know how I know? Your reading patterns.

Explore the most popular articles published this year on MsMagazine.com—measured by page views, average time spent on each page, times shared and a few other technical measures.

Black Women’s Unemployment Rate Just Dropped. What Happened?

Chabeli Carrazana, The 19th

The unemployment rate for Black women went from 7 percent in October to 5 percent in November. Typically, unemployment rates change very little from month to month, so the drop among Black women, who have consistently had some of the highest rates of any racial group, is significant. However, since the pandemic began, monthly jobs figures have been more volatile, and clear explanations of what is happening in the labor market have become even more rare.

How the Big Business of Divorce Benefits Men

Casey Jahn

Divorce is a $28 billion a year industry that affects 50 percent of the people involved in marriage. Between 70 and 80 percent of divorces are initiated by women. Among college-educated women, that number jumps to 90 percent. But even though women overwhelmingly are the ones who want divorce, men somehow benefit disproportionately. Why?

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