Careers
'If You’re Looking For Work-Life Balance, This Isn't It.'
Those who can’t meet the increased demands of employers will naturally lose out.
Emma Haslett
Emma Haslett is a U.K.-based journalist and author whose podcast, 'Big Fat Negative,' looks at infertility, IVF and the trials of trying for a baby.
Reproductive Health
The Popularity of the Pill Is Plummeting—at the Exact Moment It Shouldn’t Be
Birth control gave women control over their bodies, their careers and their futures. A cultural campaign against the pill risks rolling all this back.
Sport
When Soccer Wasn’t Such a Guy Thing
Women’s soccer in the U.K. goes way back in history. But at one point it was banned. By the time the ban was lifted, the damage had been done.
Infertility
‘Ethical IVF’ May Be the Problematic Solution to Donald Trump’s IVF Dilemma
By supporting IVF, Trump drove a wedge between two factions of his followers. So-called “ethical IVF” may be how he stitches them back together.
Careers
When Your Boss Tells You to Come In 5 Days a Week, Here’s What You Can Say
After five years of work from home, return-to-office mandates are everywhere. But research shows that nobody really benefits—not even businesses.
AI
AI Skews Beautiful. What Is That Doing to Us?
Images of people generated by AI tend to be gorgeous, even when creators ask them to be ugly. That could have a profound effect on our emotional wellbeing.
Infertility
Everyone Has Their View on Surrogacy. Few Actually Understand It.
When Lily Collins announced her child had been born via surrogate, the judgments and criticisms were swift and brutal. Many were just plain wrong.
Social Media
Instagram is Home to Thriving Communities. Meta's Plans Risk Cutting Them Off.
Mark Zuckerberg's plans to change content moderation at Meta risk cutting off communities that have become vital lifelines for women.
Books
Our Year In Books: Escape? Engage? Do Both?
The Persistent's editors round up their favorite reads of the year.
The Interview
Two Friends, One Diagnosis: This Is a Love Story
When Kat Alexander started looping through cycles of mania, it was her best friend, Mara Altman, who came to the rescue.
Fashion and Beauty
A Rash On My Face Made Me Reassess My Relationship With Makeup. Here’s What I Learned.
Can you wear makeup and still call yourself a feminist?
Film and TV
'Now It's Over, I Don't Feel Any Better At All’
The short film, “Incompatible,” tells the story of a pregnant-working class woman making an all-but-impossible choice.
The Interview
How Angry Should Women Voters Be?
The journalist Jessica Valenti chronicles the pro-life movement in forensic detail in her new book. Ahead of the election, she says, voters need to get angry.
Film and TV
The Janice Problem
A rewatch of Friends reveals it isn't the post-feminist masterpiece we thought it was.
Great Women
Was the Queen a Feminist?
Two years after her passing, the jury's still out.
U.S. Election 2024
Gender Equality Isn’t Just a Women’s Issue. Tim Walz Knows That.
The vice presidential candidate is a plain-speaking Midwesterner—whose experiences mean he has prioritized policies traditionally classed as “women’s issues”.