Women in Sports

Women in sports are discriminated against in forms of sexual harassment and assault, unequal pay, and constant disrespect and objectification. But they are fighting back by speaking out about their experiences, filing lawsuits and breaking records.

The Women’s Basketball Team’s Path to the Olympics Was Paved by Title IX

From Caitlin Clark’s success this season, to the Women’s Basketball Team shot at The Olympics this week, the history of women’s basketball has been paved by Title IX.

“It’s now over 50 years since Title IX was passed and it’s amazing how great U.S. women athletes are doing [at the Olympics]. Finally hearts and minds are getting closer to matching the law. People are investing in women’s sports as a business, not a charity,” said Billie Jean King.

(This article originally appears in the Summer 2024 issue of Ms. Join the Ms. community today and you’ll get issues delivered straight to your mailbox!)

Ms. Global: Paris Olympics Near Gender Parity, Afghan Women Banned from Third Doha Conference, and More

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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: a special report from the Paris Olympics, as well as news from Afghanistan, Iran and more.

She Surfed the Biggest Wave in the World. ‘Maya and the Wave’ Captured It.

In February 2020, Brazilian surfer Maya Reis Gabeira surfed a 73-foot wave (the height of a seven-story building) in Nazaré, Portugal.

With her documentary Maya and the Wave, filmmaker Stephanie Johnes tells a story of working with, not against, the ocean, and doesn’t shy away from the intensity of the sport. In an interview with Ms., Stephanie Johnes details what it is like to be an elite female athlete in a male-dominated sport.

“What I hope that the film accomplishes is to connect with people who are not necessarily surfers or even athletes, but who have felt that feeling of isolation when they’re trying to do something extraordinary or trying to do something in a male-dominated environment.”

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: Kamala Harris Takes the Torch; Rest in Power, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee; Will D.C. Get Ranked-Choice Voting This November?

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

This week: remembering U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s leadership in protecting women from domestic violence and recognizing Juneteenth as a national holiday; For the first time in history, parent athletes competing in the Olympics now have access to a nursery in the Olympic Village; Alice Milliat was a pioneer who championed gender equality in the Olympics; Kamala Harris is the best candidate to compete against former President Trump; and more.

Keeping Score: Kamala Harris Launches Presidential Campaign; JD Vance’s Extreme Abortion Views; Republicans Attack Voting Rights, Title IX and DEI

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: Vice President Kamala Harris launched her presidential campaign with Biden’s endorsement; Trump’s VP pick JD Vance’s anti-abortion extremism; women’s health is suffering in the Southeast; the Supreme Court blocked an EPA air pollution plan; House Republicans attack voting rights and Title IX; rest in power, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and Dr. Ruth Westheimer; and more.

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: Women Lawmakers Condemn Trump Shooting; Paris Olympics First to Achieve Gender Parity; 176th Anniversary of Seneca Falls

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

This week: Concerns of political violence are on the rise after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump; insights from the historic Mexican elections; for the first time, the Olympics will have gender balance, with equal primetime coverage for men’s and women’s events; and more.

The 22 Scariest Lines We Found in Project 2025’s 900-Page ‘Mandate for Leadership’

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Project 2025, the extremist blueprint for the next Republican president, maps out the permanent reversal of more than 50 years of gains for American women and LGBTQ+ people. The authors of Project 2025—80 percent of whom served in the first Trump administration—paint a picture of a nation where women are fundamentally second class citizens.

Project 2025 contains an 887-page policy agenda. We read the whole thing, so you don’t have to. Here are the most terrifying things we found. 

In the 2024 Olympics, Afghan Women Defy the Taliban Ban on Women in Sports

In September 2021—less than a month after the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan—the Taliban banned women and girls from participating in sports.

Three women and three men will represent Afghanistan in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, yet the Taliban has refused to acknowledge the female Afghan athletes playing for their home country.

Kimia Yousofi, one the three Afghan women Olympians, said she will be representing the “stolen dreams and aspirations” of women still under the Taliban’s gender apartheid.