Essays from The Persistent | Covering women for a change

Illustration of bird's eye view of a woman lying on a bench, lifting a weight. She has a ponytail, a pink crop top and black cycle shorts.

Sports

I’m a Woman Who Lifts Heavy Weights. That Makes Me Feel Like I Can Do Anything.

Lifting weights has proven health benefits, particularly for women in middle age—but it can also be a way to tune out the chaos and doubt that life throws at you.

Culture

I’ll Never Break Up With a Breakup Album

The breakup song is the ultimate declaration of independence and rediscovery—a tribute to the complexity of womanhood.

Watercolor of Shirley Djukurnã Krenak, a woman with black hair, wearing beads and brightly colored hair ornaments.

Environment

This Indigenous Brazilian Woman is Risking Everything to Defend Her Lands (And No, She Won't be at COP)

As world leaders gather in Brazil for this year’s global climate talks, the women on the frontlines of defending the world’s forests and rivers tell us why they won’t be taking part.

An artists's rendering of a woman, against a backdrop of painted flowers.

Motherhood

It’s So Easy to Blame the Mom

America is funding research to identify the root causes of autism, but it's looking in all the wrong places.

Culture

Where Is Mary Shelley In All the ‘Frankensteins’ Out There?

Maybe it’s time for a woman to show us what “Frankenstein” is really about.

Illustration. A woman sits in the fetal position in a room full of giant, open, glowing laptops.

AI

‘Don’t Pretend You Don’t Love It’—The Dark, Misogynistic Underside of AI

From biased chatbots to sexist and aggressive avatars, AI already comprises a whole set of tools capable of harassing and harming women.

Former first ladies Barbara Bush, Lady Bird Johnson, Betty Ford and Nancy Reagan stand in a row.

Persisting Through Politics

Demolishing the East Wing to Make Room for a Ballroom Wipes Away the Work of First Ladies

President Trump's demolition of the White House's East Wing ignores that this "small building" has long been the symbolic heart of the nation.

Persisting Through Politics

No Kings, Just 7 Million People

At Saturday's No Kings rallies across the U.S. pure women-energy prevailed. Here's a look at the rally in Manhattan.

Two women sit cross-legged on steps, holding an Afghan flag. Behind them, women wear face masks to symbolize their silencing

Afghanistan

Afghan Women Are Speaking Out. Is the World Finally Listening?

Afghan women gave testimony about the human rights abuses they have experienced. To Afghan women and girls who feel forgotten, that in itself is a message of hope.

Illustration in which a woman sits at a cafe table with her stroller while people mill around behind her.

Parenting

The Community I Never Knew I Needed? It Was Right Here All Along.

When I went on maternity leave, I assumed I’d be lonely. Instead, I connected with the world in a whole new way.

Books

So Long, Jilly Cooper. It’s Been a Scream.

The author Jilly Cooper has died at 88. Her 18 novels and memoirs give us glorious insight into a bygone era.

An illustration of a pregnant person holding a medicine capsule.

Reproductive Health

Expectant Mothers Deserve More Options Than Just ‘Toughing It Out’

The swirl of misinformation around Tylenol and pregnancy points to a bigger problem: An overall reluctance to include pregnant women in medical research.

Simplistic illustration of a tired woman reaching for a glass of wine as her two children climb over her and pull her hair.

Parenting

Gentle Parenting is Gentle on Everyone But the Mothers Doing It

While gentle parenting places a high value on children’s feelings, it doesn’t have the same concerns about parents.

Stylized collage showing RBG's head with glasses, earrings, pulled-back hair, lace collar - and wings.

Forgotten Feminists

Why RBG’s Complicated Legacy Doesn’t Bother Me

Nothing will take away from the immense wins Ruth Bader Ginsburg secured for those who couldn’t stage their own fights. But she was complicated, and so is her legacy.

An illustration of a woman happily holding aloft a Guardian newspaper. Others around her are ignoring her or looking grumpy.

Friendship

Few Things Test Friendships Like Success

It’s reasonable to share in the pain of a friend in need. But sharing in the joy of a friend’s success? That’s harder.

A women with a covered face and a baby on her knee is surrounded by rubble and other survivors.

Afghanistan

In the Aftermath of a Devastating Earthquake, Afghan Women Struggle to Get Help…Because They’re Women

Taliban restrictions have made women medics a rarity, putting women’s health, care and survival at serious risk.