Essays from The Persistent | Covering women for a change

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.

History Lessons

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.

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.