More Than A Magazine, A Movement
From the swearing in of our first woman vice president, Kamala Harris, to the severe restrictions on reproductive rights, 2021 has been a mixed bag for feminism. Of course, popular culture—ever a pulse from which to measure the present moment—served as a guide this year for feminist expression.
Here is a list of what got us thinking and talking about feminism in popular culture.
Each month, I provide Ms. readers with a list of new books being published by writers from historically excluded groups.
You’ve read the other “Best of” lists—now read the other one. You know, for the rest of us. Each year, I review my monthly Reads for the Rest of Us lists and choose my favorite books of the year. It was such a wonderful challenge to review all the lists and choose my top 50, but here they are.
Four years after #MeToo went viral, women continue to come forward with their stories of sexual harassment in the workplace and elsewhere. Unfortunately, we can only tell some women’s #MeToo stories after it’s too late.
If we’re going to realize the promise of the #MeToo movement for all women, we need to start with addressing the immigration, caste and other systems that harassers and abusers use to exert power over women.
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: Romania’s massive coronavirus outbreak; Afghan families forced to sell their daughters; the aftermath of COP 26; where is Peng Shuai?; Sweden may get its first woman PM; and more.
The BE HEARD in the Workplace Act was reintroduced in Congress on Wednesday. The act expands current protections, eliminates the tipped minimum wage, and stops mandatory arbitration.
When Sarah created the Piedmont Protectors Instagram account in July 2020, the Bay Area high school student wanted a platform for students to share their stories of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment in their community.
Though Piedmont High School only has 840 students, the account gained over 1,500 within the first week. After three days of being live, there were already over 90 posts anonymously reporting and documenting sexual assault, harassment and rape in the Piedmont Unified School District student community.
The Trevor Bauer case exemplifies what a major problem domestic violence is in Major League Baseball and how it’s long past time for change.
“When I think of where we go from here, I return to what Kat O’Brien aimed to do by telling her story, writing, ‘I hope I can help bring about systemic change rather than seek unlikely-to-come justice for one horrible act.'”
In March, the House passed H.J. Res. 17, which would eliminate the arbitrary time limit for ERA ratification and remove any shadow of uncertainty about the ERA’s validity. A companion measure is pending in the Senate.
Gender equality is not a partisan issue. The ERA is the way to guarantee it, and the time for action is now.
Andrew Cuomo went out swinging on his last day in office—insisting he’s being railroaded even as the moving vans rolled out.
I honestly don’t care about his claims. What I do care about is whether the outgoing New York governor’s sexual harassment scandal will prompt more states to finally enact laws against coercive control—a form of domestic bullying that can cause psychological trauma.
On August 13, four Bengali women from the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens, N.Y., filed a class-action lawsuit against Dr. Ferdous Khandker, alleging decades of sexual assault and harassment of dozens of women and girls under the auspices of providing medical care. The women sought out attorney Susan Crumiller, who calls her firm “the feminist litigation firm.”
On the day the class-action lawsuit against Khandker was filed, Ms. spoke with Susan Crumiller to learn more about how the case and what’s at stake.
