Archive | The Persistent

Women’s Sports Are Thriving. Will Equality Follow?

Audiences for women’s sports are surging and investment is rising. But a mismatch between viewership and advertising is curbing how far the boom can go.

by Josie Cox

Chronic Stress From Racism Makes Pregnancy More Dangerous for Black Women

New research from the University of Cambridge shows how chronic stress linked to racism and inequality may trigger physiological changes in the body and increase risk during pregnancy.

by Josie Cox

The Burden of Sixty Years of Silence

What kind of world makes women’s truth telling take so long?

by AHyun Lee

Our Definition of a ‘Top University’ Might Be Completely Wrong

The metrics we use to define academic excellence have never really accounted for, well, women.

by Josie Cox

The Tangled History of Women and Body Hair

We're wrestling with age-old beauty standards. Is it time to finally push back?

by Kathleen Davis

How We Celebrate Earth Day All Year Round

Being kind to the environment doesn’t have to take enormous effort. Case in point: Our contributors’ suggestions for painless and even pleasurable ways to save the earth.

by The Persistent

The Silence Gap: Violence Against Women Remains Critically Undercovered in Global Media

A new report shows that media coverage of violence against women has fallen to a decade low, despite a rise in reported cases.

by Josie Cox

It’s Not Just What Brought Down the Disgraced Ex-Congressman Eric Swalwell, It’s Who

When online influencers Arielle Fodor and Cheyenne Hunt started getting messages from women who said they’d been harassed by the former congressman, Eric Swalwell, they listened. It made all the difference.

by E.B. Boyd

Peg Bracken — The Cookbook Author Who Aimed to Keep Women Out of the Kitchen

Funny, subversive and sympathetic to the plight of the housewife, Peg Bracken helped women put dinner on the table so they could get back to what they really wanted to be doing.

by Laura Fraser

8 Women-Owned Businesses Adding Beauty and Creativity to the World

You can feel good, not guilty, about where your money is going at every one of these independently-owned enterprises.

by The Persistent

‘Racism is Still a Public Health Crisis’

Planned Parenthood CEO Alexis McGill Johnson on the Black maternal mortality crisis and what it would take to change things.

by Josie Cox

‘Pilates Girl’ is a Fantasy That Requires the Salary of a CEO and the Schedule of a Tradwife

A recent episode of the dating show ‘Love is Blind’ showed a man complaining that his new partner ‘doesn’t do pilates every day.’ That’s a problem.

by Caroline Fairchild

Menopause Can Make You Better at Your Job. Now There’s a Thought.

Support for menopause at work isn’t just a nice thing to do. It’s an economic imperative.

by Lauren Smith Brody

People Were Calling Me an Economist. And I Was Like, ‘Am I?’

In her book “The Double Tax,” the economist Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman explains why Black women pay more for their hair products and their homes, get paid less at work, and are underestimated at every turn.

by Francesca Donner

7 Books That Will Spark Lively Book Club Discussions

Some books are so good you just need to talk about them. These picks from Persistent contributors, some older and some new, will give you a lot to chew on.

by The Persistent

Are You a Working Woman In Midlife? This One's For You.

A new wave of menopause-related research is revealing just how much menopause can affect women's working lives. And it's not all bad.

by Aubrey Hirsch

Who Benefits From Working From Home? It Depends

New research shows men and women experienced working from home very differently before — and after — the pandemic.

by Josie Cox

The Motherhood Penalty Hits Women’s Academic Careers Hard, According to a New Study

Women are 29% less likely to remain at universities eight years after having a first child, with lasting impacts on pay, tenure and research output, a large Danish study has found.

by Josie Cox

In Kitchens, Markets and Homes—A Resourceful Feminism Emerges in North Korea

Long before North Korea signaled its next leader might be female, its women were quietly making change.

by Hawon Jung

Poems And Poets That Will Touch Your Heart and Expand Your Thinking

In honor of National Poetry Month, we asked Persistent contributors to share their favorite poems.

by The Persistent

When School’s Out, Girls Keep Reading. Boys Don’t.

Research shows that boys' reading drops during school closures and holidays, while girls’ remains steady.

by Josie Cox

I Was Raised to Be a 'Good Ghanaian Girl.' A Dive Into African Cultural History Set me Free

I was raised to be a good girl, which meant marrying a man and being a good wife and mother. I’m giving my daughter a different legacy.

by Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah

Banning NDAs May Be Backfiring For Women Hoping to be Hired by Startups

New research finds that limiting nondisclosure agreements is linked to a drop in female hiring—especially at smaller firms with less HR infrastructure.

by Josie Cox

The Passion Projects And Side Hustles We’re Most Proud Of

It’s time for a little self-promotion! These are the projects, products, podcasts and more created by The Persistent contributors. We think you’ll love them!

by The Persistent

When It Comes to Caregiving, Acknowledge the Overwhelm

A completely candid, unapologetic conversation about caring for elder parents. You’re welcome.

by MP Dunleavey

March 26 Marks Equal Pay Day for Women in the U.S.

Women are still making 81 cents for every dollar men make (and that’s not even the full story).

by Kathleen Davis

The Women Bringing Witchcraft Into the Workplace

A growing cadre of career consultants, creative agencies and entrepreneurs are using witchy “dark arts” like Tarot cards and crystals to help their clients fulfill their dreams/find their focus...

by Gabriella Griffith

American Workers Are Much More Stressed Than Two Years Ago

Stress levels are worst among women, caregivers, younger workers and LGBTQ+ employees, a new study shows.

by Josie Cox

11 Books We Always Return To

Even with an ever-growing to-read pile of new books on our bedside tables, these favorites have a hold on us.

by The Persistent

Everything the Finance Bros Don’t Want Women to Know About Money

Amanda Holden’s new book ‘How To Be a Rich Old Lady’ unpacks perpetually confusing financial concepts.

by Kathleen Davis

Women Are (Still) Spending More Time Doing Housework

According to new time use data, women are still doing the lion’s share of housework and caregiving, while men are spending more time at work and relaxing.

by Josie Cox

I Was Genuinely Moved by the Oscars This Year. Here’s Why.

Was it perfect? No. Occasionally self-congratulatory? Of course. But there were some genuinely joyous and important moments during this year’s Academy Awards

by Michele Shapiro