Essays from The Persistent | Covering women for a change

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.

Dressed in a white blazer, white shirt and white pants, Stephanie Shirley poses with boats behind her.

History Lessons

The Tech Mogul “Steve” Who Looked Out for Women

Her software company would change everything; perhaps most notably how—and where—women could work.

Illustration showing a woman looking at her watch as hands reach in proffering keys, a wallet, a permission slip, a phone and other items.

Worklife

How Back to School Puts Working Moms in an Impossible Bind

The mismatch of days off between schools and workplaces is an annual puzzle. It’s moms who bear the brunt.

A daughter embraces her mom while her mom colors in pictures at a table.

Family

Am I Really the Adult in the Room Now?

My mother was always the one in the family who took care of everyone and everything. Now, her mind is going, and none of us know quite where we stand.

Illustration of a man cooking at a stove while a woman works at her laptop.

Relationships

The Day I Walked Out of The Kitchen

My choice is to leave all planning, preparation and worrying about food to my husband. That feels like a radical feminist act.

Oil painting of Margaret Fuller, a brunette woman in a cornflour blue gown, with a cream shawl draped over her shoulders.

History

The Life and Untimely Death of One of America's First Feminists

There’s no way of knowing what Margaret Fuller might have achieved if she hadn’t died in the summer of 1850.

Essays

‘I Couldn’t Stay Away’

A reenactment of the Dominique Pelicot trial takes on a life of its own, becoming as real as the trial itself.

An artist illustration shows three people on a stage singing karaoke with balloons above. Two are standing, one is seated in a powerchair.

Disability

June May Be Over, But It’s Still Pride For Me

Hosting a Pride prom served as a reminder that someone can be included, understood and loved for who they are without having to leave parts of their identities at the door.

A black and white photograph of a rapturous audience in a packed theater.

Culture

I’m Trying to Embrace Mediocrity. How About You?

Making the case for being OK with just being OK.

An illustration shows a woman's face and a pair of justice scales covered over with scraps of paper in green and orange.

Sexual violence

A Colonial-Era Law Makes Marital Rape Legal in India. The Government Refuses to Change It.

In India, arranged marriage is a common practice. Some marriages work out, of course, while in others, a family’s honor is protected, whatever the cost.

A photo illustration shows a scattered collection of packets of the pill, depicted in bright colors.

Birth Control

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.

An illustration of a bride and groom embracing under a chuppah. The chuppah is held up by friends.

Love

A Wedding Today Costs How Much? I’m Glad You Asked.

When my daughter was married last month, we bypassed everything extravagant, opting instead for a wedding built on friends, community and love.

An illustration of three pregnant women holding interventional medical devices and medicines

Birth

How Do We Make Birth Better?

Little has changed in the way we bring humans into the world since the popularization of the cesarean section in the 1960s. It’s 2025. What is going on?

Peppa Pig

Oh, Creators of Peppa Pig, Did You Have To?

For many people, pregnancy announcements are a joyous thing, but when you’re struggling to conceive, they really are not.

Sports

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.