More Than A Magazine, A Movement
In her first appearance on the campaign trail since her electric speech at the Democratic National Convention, former First Lady Michelle Obama pleaded directly with men to take women’s lives seriously this election.
“To the men who love us … I am asking you from the core of my being to take our lives seriously. Do not put our hands in the lives of politicians—mostly men—who have no clue or do not care about what we as women are going through.”
Last month at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA79) in New York City, Ms. joined “Spotlight on Periods: A Call for Menstrual Health Equity,” an event that brought together film, music, and sports trailblazers, influencers and activists to discuss their call for action to close the gap in menstrual health.
“As creators, we have a responsibility to tell the story and also have the inner dialogue to develop a loving relationship with our bodies and periods, to be able to show up and bravely educate others,” said Madame (Kiran) Gandhi, a musician and activist, who ran the London marathon on the first day of her period. “Women bleed all over the world and we are not rewarded and celebrated. And we are expected to hide it away in shame.”
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 this biweekly roundup.
This week: Kamala Harris reaffirmed her candidacy for president at the DNC; Republican-appointed judges strike down Biden’s student loan relief plan; a new law bans women from speaking in public in Afghanistan; working moms earn just 71 cents per dollar earned by dads; understanding the orgasm gap; gold-medalist boxer Imane Khelif fights back against racist and sexist abuse; new reproductive rights bills signed into law in Illinois; and more.
For years, bills that put tampons and pads in school bathrooms were gaining traction across states. But the rise of anti-trans legislation has made a health issue political.
A recent study found concentrations of 16 metals in 30 different varieties of tampons. Although there may be no need for immediate panic, consumers have every right to be angry. Where is corporate responsibility? Why so little transparency? How can the government step in?
For many decades, sexual and reproductive rights have been at the core of the global feminist struggle—but only an unapologetically feminist administration puts them at the center of the political agenda. Such is the progressive turn the government of Catalonia, an autonomous region in northeastern Spain, assumed in May 2021 when it created a Ministry of Equality and Feminisms.
In October 2021, this new ministry drafted the national strategy for sexual and reproductive rights. This was founded on the premise that the personal is political, so it must also be public policy. This strategy sought to guarantee the effective exercise of existing rights—particularly abortion, long-term contraception and sexuality education.
Many women are now asking: What about perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause?
We see more than 600,000 people released from U.S. prisons each year. This April, Second Chance Month, is an opportunity for us to bring to light the difficulties for those seeking a successful return back to society.
Incarcerated women in particular face unique challenges compared to their male counterparts, and their rate of entry has accelerated at twice the pace of men over the past three decades.
Menopause is having its moment, so say daily news headlines. A new essay series in the medical journal The Lancet, published to coincide with International Women’s Day, argues all that hype—combined with “over-medicalization” and reliance on menopausal hormone therapy—harms women by framing menopause as a disease. But, in fact, the real disservice to women is the lack of consideration of menopause in the halls of government.
If we truly want to rise to the so-called moment for menopause, here is a policy agenda that can best serve us.
It’s a sunny day in Mikocheni, Tanzania. Sia Fred Towo clutches a bag of reusable sanitary pads in one hand, showcasing it to a group of women in a dusty yard with a look of seriousness and pride that rarely accompanies menstrual products. Towo is the director of Femme International, a nonprofit in East Africa, on a mission to break down global menstrual taboos. Towo is not only bringing period products to remote villages in Tanzania, she is bravely baring her own painful experiences in a borderless and ageless format: the op-ed.
Towo is one of six grassroots change leaders who are turning to the power of the pen to expose injustices and inspire change on a broad array of urgent issues—from climate change to education access. She joins courageous women from Afghanistan, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan and Peru who are writing op-eds about their personal experiences with these issues.
Dr. Jen Gunter’s third book, BLOOD: The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation, is an accessible look at the multiple ways that the patriarchal control of medicine has allowed misinformation about reproduction, sexuality and anatomy to flourish.
Ms. sat down with Gunter to discuss the book and how she hopes to “democratize knowledge and make a difference in people’s lives.”