Here Are the Funny Women Who Make Us Laugh Out Loud
We’re not here to argue that women are funny, because, duh! We just here to clue you into our contributors’ funniest favorites. You’re welcome.
Latest
‘Engorged With Milk and Aching For My Child’
Throughout history, breastfeeding is depicted as a symbol of maternal love, but pumping seems a more accurate reflection of what being a parent looks like in a late-capitalist society.
Mourning the Mother You Wish You’d Had
The day after my mom’s death, I dove into writing her eulogy. But why was I was putting myself through the painful rite? For healing? For hurting? To have the last word in a lifelong contest with my mother?
A New Movement Wants to Silence Women In Public Life. AI Is Enabling It.
Women activists and journalists are being targeted in increasingly scary ways, forcing many to self-censor, as AI supercharges levels of online abuse.
This is What Helps Us Find Motivation On Hard Days
When everything feels like a lot, these habits, rituals, music and more help us to keep moving forward.
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.
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.
The Burden of Sixty Years of Silence
What kind of world makes women’s truth telling take so long?
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.
The Tangled History of Women and Body Hair
A razor company’s quest to increase profits launched a 100-year beauty standard. Is it time, finally, to push back?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
‘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.
Film and TV
‘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.
Health
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.
The Interview
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.
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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.
Health
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.
Careers
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.
Careers
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.
World
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.
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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.
Parenting
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.
Relationships
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.
Careers
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.
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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!
Personal Finance
When It Comes to Caregiving, Acknowledge the Overwhelm
A completely candid, unapologetic conversation about caring for elder parents. You’re welcome.
Work and Money
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).
Careers
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…