COVID-19

Let’s Save the Maternity Units Like We Do the Banks

What if we thought about maternity care like we thought about extractive, under-regulated, poorly run banks? We have plenty of examples of the federal government quickly mobilizing resources to bail them out. They are indispensable! They are core to the wellbeing of our economy and our communities! They are too big to fail!

But I can’t imagine many things more core to the well-being of our economy and our communities than the health of women, of mothers and the children they bring into this world. 

It’s Time for Black Women to #AskForMore

Black women lose billions of dollars every year in “involuntarily forfeited” compensation, due to sexism and racism in the U.S. workplace.

Policymakers and companies should take responsibility to rectify these inequities that have existed since the end of emancipation (and before) in the U.S., but Black women cannot afford to wait any longer another for this leadership. We’re still in a robust labor market, so Black women should use this leverage to #AskForMore—during salary negotiations, when starting a new job, and when demanding financial parity with their peers.

For Women in America, the Fight for ‘Real Self‑Care’ Never Ends

An excerpt of Real Self-Care: A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness (Crystals, Cleanses, and Bubble Baths Not Included) by Pooja Lakshmin, out March 14, 2023.

“The work of real self‑care is about changing our relationships with ourselves, and, in turn, what naturally follows such internal change is a reorganizing of larger systems. … The energy and collective power that was harnessed by individuals in 2021 has led to real and tangible changes at the state level and in the corporate sector.”

Medical Racism’s Role in the Recent Spike in Maternal Mortality

In 2021, more than 360 Black women died of maternal health causes across the country, according to the CDC—up from just over 290 in 2020 and more than 240 the year prior.

Despite advancements in medicine and technology over the years, the racial gap in who is suffering the most severe consequences of childbirth is growing, and most Black maternal and child health experts point to systematic racism as the root cause.

Why a Global Treaty Would Help End Violence Against Women and Girls

Ms. contributor Michelle Onello and co-founder of Every Woman Treaty, Lisa Shannon, discuss the causes and consequences of the recent rise in violence against women and girls, why a global treaty is necessary to meet their needs worldwide, and the prospects for moving forward with a treaty in the current political climate.

“In the absence of a global framework, we are allowing generations of frontline women’s rights activists to be stalked, harassed, beaten, murdered and chased out of their countries and forced to live in exile.”

The Ms. Q&A: Jenny Odell on ‘Saving Time’ and Escaping the Clock

When Jenny Odell talks about “saving time,” she doesn’t mean what you might think—finding ways to live more “efficiently,” to optimize your life, to fit more hours into every day. 

In her new book, ‘Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock,’ the ‘How to do Nothing’ author explores the clock as a tool of domination from the earliest days of global conquest and colonization to the modern-day work week which seeks to colonize our minds and attention spans, in search of a conception of time that isn’t painful—but rather, liberatory. 

America Needs Julie Su as the Next Secretary of Labor

President Biden recently announced his nomination of Julie Su to be the next secretary of the Department of Labor. She has spent her career fighting for equity and inclusion in the workforce.

Women across the country are thrilled that President Biden has taken the critical first step in nominating Julie Su — now we need to keep the pressure on the Senate to confirm her.