An Open Letter Accuses Netflix's 'Afflicted' of Abandoning Ethics and Science
The new documentary series promised compassion for sufferers of poorly understood chronic illnesses. Instead, it peddled the tired narrative that their suffering is "all in their heads."
'Grey's Anatomy' Finally Tackles Medicine's Gender Bias
With Miranda Bailey's heart attack, sexism in medicine gets much-deserved mainstream treatment.
The Little Pink Pill That Sparked a Feminist War
The Food and Drug Administration's approval of a pharmaceutical treatment for low sexual desire in women has launched a heated debate over the dangers and benefits of medicalizing sex.
Compared to Men, Women Bear Six Times More of the Cost of Alzheimer’s Disease
We’ve been slow to mobilize against the growing Alzheimer’s epidemic. Perhaps that’s because women are shouldering most of the burden.
How America’s Lack of Paid Maternity Leave Worsens Inequality
Without access to paid maternity leave, many low-income mothers are forced to choose between their economic security and their health.
Poor Women in the United States Don’t Have Abortion Rights
For decades, the ban on using Medicaid dollars to pay for abortions has kept many poor women from being able to end their pregnancies. Finally, some pro-choice lawmakers are trying to change that—or at least show how unjust the status quo is.
Television News Covers Women’s Sports Less Today Than It Did 25 Years Ago
More women are playing sports and more people are watching them do so than ever before (just look at audience figures for this year's Women's World Cup), but you wouldn’t know it from the “mediated man cave” that is American sports media.
Will Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pills Soon Be the New Normal?
Now that both Democrats and Republicans in Congress have introduced bills in support of making oral contraceptives available without a prescription, will a pharmaceutical company finally petition the FDA to get its pill on the shelves?
In the United States, Single Motherhood Is Bad for Your Health
As privileged women increasingly embrace their “inner spinster,” a new study offers a timely reminder that single motherhood still comes with serious, material disadvantages for most women in this country.
Men Want Sweet Wives and Independent Daughters
These desires reflect the real tensions in our incomplete gender revolution, in which changes in the domestic sphere have lagged behind the progress made toward equality in the public one.
The Hidden Sexism Lurking Behind the Pay Gap
Let’s stop arguing about how much of the pay gap is due to women’s “choices.” Those choices are often products of sexism hidden from view.
The Fantastical Flaws of Arizona’s New 'Reverse' Abortion Law
A new law that forces doctors to give their patients misinformation about an untested procedure is just the latest example of how anti-choice restrictions undermine evidence-based medical care. It’s long past time to stop taking abortion opponents’ hypocritical claims of concern for “patient safety” seriously.
Is Medicine's Gender Bias Killing Young Women?
A recent study suggests younger women who have heart attacks may hesitate to get help because they’re afraid of being labeled hypochondriacs. But the bigger problem is just how justified that fear really is.
Can Feminist Ryan Gosling Really Make Men More Feminist?
A small study suggests the meme that delighted many a straight feminist woman may actually increase support for feminist ideals among men. But true progress will be made when more men buy into the movement’s message without a glistening male spokesperson telling them they should.
Can Storytelling Help Destroy the Stigma Associated With Abortion?
Last year was dubbed “the year of the abortion story.” Though these narratives have changed some hearts and minds, dismantling abortion stigma won’t happen overnight. And it certainly won’t ensure reproductive freedom for all.
Benefits of Marriage Study Hints at the Horrors of Middle Age
Marriage isn’t the happiness elixir America wants it to be. If anything, it simply distracts us from persisting economic and social injustices that undermine all types of relationships.