More Than A Magazine, A Movement
Free and fair elections are an essential pillar of democracy around the world. However, the validity of elections are often threatened by the state or individuals introducing barriers to voting, including violence, and political or financial corruption.
At a time of growing authoritarianism, it is crucial to understand how right-wing demagogues tap into mythology to convince their followers that they are part of something redemptive and heroic. And gender is at the heart of our national mythology.
Reclaiming white men’s position at the top of American society is one of the animating themes of Trumpism as a sociocultural and political force.
Most major corporations these days claim to have a core commitment to women’s rights. But behind the scenes, many corporations—including Amazon, AT&T, Coca-Cola, Google and Exxon—are propping up lawmakers behind some of the most extreme anti-women legislation of our time.
Nowhere is the consequence of corporate contributions clearer than in Florida, Oklahoma and Texas—which have already instituted the nation’s most draconian anti-abortion bans.
As a Black queer woman in politics, Erin Maye Quade has faced her share of obstacles, but one of the most demoralizing was when members of her own party refused to suspend balloting between she and her opponent when she went into labor.
Maye Quade spoke to Ms. about her experience at the convention, what it means for women in politics and why she’s not giving up.
The overturning of Roe has sparked an avalanche of new state abortion restrictions, beginning the process of gutting reproductive healthcare access across the country. But the current situation is not just the result of a conservative Supreme Court. At the heart of this problem are legislative bodies at the local and state levels of government that are not representative of the American people. Harmful legislation—whether abortion restrictions, voter suppression or efforts to ban curricula that are inclusive of all people—often originates at the local level.
Our best (and only) shot at fighting for our civil liberties and protecting people is electing leaders to public office at the community, city and state levels who are reflective of the constituents they set out to represent.
We are at a pivotal moment where we need to move towards greater equality more rapidly, so the path to gender parity in civic and political leadership is not 200 years long.
Let’s move beyond partisan politics and individual missions to achieve our collective goal of increasing the number of women in elected and appointed positions across the country, and bringing our country closer to a representative democracy. We can only do this if we work together.
At the time of the Center for American Women and Politics’ founding, there were so few women in politics that some male colleagues wondered aloud what the organization would even study.
Five decades later, in a year marked by critical milestones and mixed outcomes for women’s rights and representation, the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers Eagleton Institute of Politics is celebrating its anniversary as the original and preeminent source for data, research and resources regarding women in American politics and public life. Ms. spoke recently with Debbie Walsh, CAWP’s director for the last two decades, about the significance of that half-century mark.
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.
In Tuesday’s Jan. 6 hearing, Georgia’s chief election administrator and rank-and-file poll workers described break-ins and death threats as Trump supporters bought into his ‘Big Lie.’
In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in in this biweekly round-up.
This week: Physicians fear for their patients’ health outcomes without abortion access; Supreme Court rules to protect federal officers’ immunity over Fourth Amendments rights; U.S. women gymnasts sue FBI for failure to investigate doctor Larry Nassar; House passes legislation to ban purchase of semiautomatic weapons before age 21; first transgender performer is nominated for a Tony, and first non-binary composer wins for best original score; and more.
Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation.
This week: how all of us can get involved to build a 21st century democracy; 85 percent of local election administrators are women; a must-watch race in Alaska; women will hold nearly 40 percent of seats in the Australian lower house, thanks largely to ranked-choice voting; the growing demand in Kenya to elect more women; and more.
