More Than A Magazine, A Movement
Stories about any of the 44 countries on the European continent.
Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation.
This week:
—new research on the importance of women’s leadership
—how Opal Lee became known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth
—No matter who wins the race, Virginia’s next governor will be the first woman to ever hold the office.
… and more.
Millions of women around the world gained safety, dignity and autonomy over their bodies thanks to Étienne-Émile Baulieu. The visionary biochemist, feminist and fearless innovator—best known for developing and championing “RU 486,” now known as mifepristone—died at his Paris home on May 30 at the age of 98.
Mifepristone has saved countless lives and offered millions of women a way to end unwanted pregnancies in the privacy and comfort of their homes. Baulieu and others championed the development of mifepristone for uses beyond abortion—including for treatment of fibroids, endometriosis, postpartum depression and cancer. He supported its use in managing miscarriages and as a way to help to dilate the cervix to reduce the need for Caesarean births. His vision for mifepristone wasn’t just to end pregnancies but to protect women’s health and reduce medical intervention that too often harmed them.
He predicted in 1991: “RU-486 will make its American entrance: science, good sense, and freedom will triumph.”
And here’s his view on why there has been tremendous opposition to abortion pills from the antiabortion movement: “A method that makes the termination of pregnancy less physically traumatic for women and less risky to their health has always been rejected by pro-lifers: What they really seek is to harm and punish women.”
When women assume a position of power, does she represent feminist leadership? Can she govern according to feminist principles? What is the difference between women’s leadership and feminist leadership?
This public syllabus on feminist leadership, assembled by Ms. contributing editor Janell Hobson and students in her graduate research seminar at the University at Albany, is an attempt to respond to these questions by exploring different examples of feminist leaders and feminist movements—both globally and historically.
We hope this syllabus can educate us on the kind of feminist leadership that will move us forward toward an inclusive democracy.
(This is Part 2 of a two-part series on women leaders and feminist leadership. Part 1—out last week—breaks down Angela Bassett’s role as U.S. president in the latest and final installment of Mission: Impossible, and how her representation on screen blurs the line between the impossible fictions and possible realities of women’s power in American politics.)
Profiles in Courage is a series honoring the extraordinary women and men who have transformed American institutions through principled public service. At a time when trust in government is fragile, these stories offer a powerful reminder of what ethical leadership looks like—from those who litigate for civil rights and resign on principle, to those who break military barriers and defend democracy on the front lines.
When Colonel Susan Meyers assumed command of Pituffik Space Base, America’s northernmost military installation, in July 2024, she inherited more than a remote outpost carved from the Arctic ice. She inherited an unbroken 70-year alliance with Denmark and Greenland, 200 airmen and guardians under her care, and a delicate diplomatic balance in an era of rising political tension.
On April 10, 2025, the U.S. Space Force relieved Colonel Meyers of command, citing “a loss of confidence.”
Ms.‘ Profiles in Courage spotlights women in the Department of Justice, federal agencies and the military whose careers have been defined by integrity, resilience and reform. Their quiet heroism—often at personal cost—reaffirms the enduring role of public servants who choose justice over self-interest. Through their stories, Ms. pays tribute to a tradition of service that safeguards democracy and inspires the next generation to lead with courage.
Vice Admiral Shoshana “Sho” Chatfield built a career on firsts: the first woman to pilot three Navy rotary-wing platforms in combat theaters; the first woman to command Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25; the first woman to lead a Joint Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan, earning the Bronze Star; and, in 2019, the first woman to preside over the U.S. Naval War College. In 2024, she shattered one more glass ceiling—becoming the sole female flag officer on NATO’s Military Committee and the senior American naval voice in allied strategy sessions.
Yet, on a quiet spring weekend in 2025, that historic ascent collided with partisan headwinds. Without warning, Chatfield received a call from Admiral Christopher Grady, acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—champion of the administration’s campaign to eradicate “woke” policies—had ordered her relief.
The FDA maintains burdensome, medically unnecessary restrictions on mifepristone, which is used in combination with another medication—misoprostol—for early pregnancy termination. This combination of medications is safer than Viagra and Tylenol and is now used in approximately two-thirds of all abortions in the United States.
Over the last decade, the FDA has removed some of the restrictions on mifepristone, including a requirement that the medication be dispensed in person by doctors, but the agency still requires prescribers and pharmacies to register with the drug maker and requires patients to sign a counseling form with redundant, inaccurate and confusing information, all of which has decreased access to the medication.
To remove these requirements, the Center for Reproductive Rights filed a lawsuit in May 2023, Whole Woman’s Health Alliance v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, asking a federal district court in Charlottesville, Va., to order the FDA to lift these restrictions on mifepristone.
On Monday, May 19, 2025, the court heard oral arguments on cross motions for summary judgment in the case. “The Trump administration has made it clear that they do not care about science, or our health and safety,” said CRR on social media. “They only care about taking away our rights. But we refuse to let that happen. We’re ALL IN on this fight.”
My great-grandfather Prof. Dr. Max Flesch, a German doctor, author and academic of Jewish descent who lived in and near Frankfurt, was stripped of the right to practice medicine, teach and publish. These assaults were enabled by academic and medical institutions which voluntarily, and sometimes enthusiastically, complied with Nazi mandates.
I see terrifying echoes of my family’s past in the Trump administration’s assault on civil institutions, academic freedom and human rights.
For years, women have been fighting for inclusion in male-only spaces within the Catholic Church. These efforts continue as Pope Leo XIV begins his tenure.
Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation.
This week: North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs’ victory was finally affirmed after partisans had sought to throw out thousands of votes; 80 percent of election officials are women; why creating new House seats would be one of the best ways to create more space for women to run; Polish women are on track for improving their political representation; Rep. Jan Schakowsky announced she will not seek reelection in 2026, ending a 14-term career representing Illinois’ 9th Congressional District; and more.
As reproductive rights continue to be under siege, we remember Katharine Dexter McCormick, a key figure in expanding access to birth control pills in the U.S.
At one point in the late 1940s or early ’50s, McCormick had been one of the richest women in America, but what made her truly remarkable was what she did with that wealth: Defying countless contemporary social norms, mores and medical taboos, she provided almost all of the funding necessary to make oral contraception a reality. McCormick’s fortune, fearlessness and feminism mean that she can lay claim to being the mother of the modern pill. Her name is barely known.