Ms. Global: Polish Reproductive Rights Activist Convicted; Dance as Protest In Iran; Spain Announces Gender-Parity Law

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.

This week: news from Poland, Iran, Spain, Cameroon, and more.

Still Waiting for U.S. Constitutional Equality?

I recently attended a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Equal Rights Amendment—the first such hearing in the U.S. Senate since 1984.

My country, Sweden, is known for its commitment to gender equality, and we have always looked to the U.S. for leadership on issues related to democracy and human rights. So how can I reconcile the vision I have of this great country with the debate I heard in the Senate? How is it possible that equal rights are not yet guaranteed by the Constitution?

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: Michelle Yeoh on the Need for Women Leaders; Minnesota’s Push for Ranked-Choice Voting; Remembering Pat Schroeder

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 

This week: Women Talking wins best adapted screenplay at the Oscars, a film about ““a radical act of democracy in which people who don’t agree on every single issue manage to sit together in a room and carve out a way forward together”; actor Michelle Yeoh on her experiences with crises and how they illuminate the need for women in leadership; allies in Minnesota are working toward ranked-choice voting; remembering Pat Schroeder, a women’s rights pioneer; and more.

The Taliban’s War on Women Demands Global Attention and Action

The Taliban’s oppression and violence against women in Afghanistan are undeniable atrocities that demand the world’s attention and immediate action.

To achieve meaningful progress towards gender equality in Afghanistan, a comprehensive approach is necessary that addresses not only the specific needs of Afghan women, but also the political and economic factors that contribute to their oppression.

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.”

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: U.N. Report Shows How Far We Are From Gender Equality; the Intersection of Gender Parity and Climate Change

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 

This week: a new U.N. report warns it will take 300 years to achieve gender equality at the current rate of progress; the need to fast track gender parity as a climate solution; Burlington, Vty., expands its use of ranked-choice voting; and more.

Telling the ‘Right’ Story: Dina Nayeri on Refugee Credibility

In her newest book, Who Gets Believed?, writer and refugee Dina Nayeri explores the role of credibility in seeking aid, from access to asylum to the criminal justice system. According to Nayeri, the most vulnerable (the uneducated, neurodivergent, etc.) are often deemed the least credible, because they don’t know how to tell the “right” story: the one that could save their life.

“We come at our most wretched moment to other people’s doors. And we should not have to be thinking about how we come across, or how we present right then.”