Home | The Persistent

When Love Comes Later in Life

Sometimes, the losses we’ve suffered in our younger years can help us love better when we’re older.

Women and the Death Penalty: A Modern History of Women's Executions in the U.S.

Christa Pike would have been the 19th woman executed in the U.S. since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. After Tennessee’s botched execution, a look at the other 18 women who were put to death before her.

by Josie Cox

‘This Is What Happens When Women Read’

Julianna Glasse was a conservative Christian pop star with a famous baseball-playing husband and a picture-perfect evangelical life. Then she started reading books.

by Josie Cox

We put women at the centre of the story. Subscribe now for free

The Cornell Seven Investigation Is Renewing Scrutiny of a Loophole in New York’s Sexual Assault Laws

As prosecutors reopen an investigation into allegations that a Cornell student was sexually assaulted by seven men, advocates are pushing lawmakers to end the state’s “Voluntary Intoxication Exclusion.”

by Josie Cox

The Lindsay Clancy Trial Made Me Wonder, ‘What If?’

In the wake of the Lindsay Clancy tragedy, and the very public trial, maybe, now, finally, we’ll start paying attention to the struggles of new mothers.

by Cristina Tudino

‘Gilmore Girls’ Has Been Named the 99th Best Show of the 21st Century. Excuse Me, What?

The problem with rankings is that no list can measure what a television show meant to you when you needed it most.

by Josie Cox

It Took Getting in Over My Head to Really Understand Caregiving

I thought caring for my elderly mom would be like a vacation. That’s not exactly how it turned out.

by Brigid Schulte

The Tiny Test That Changed Everything

Nearly 60 years ago, Meg Crane fought her male bosses to give women something radical: the ability to find out for themselves if they were pregnant.

by Kathleen Davis

Gender Pay Equality is Still 120 Years Away

Women and men are closer to parity than at any point in the World Economic Forum’s 20-year analysis, though big gaps remain in political power and economic opportunity.

by Josie Cox

Do Women Cartoonists Draw Differently?

A new documentary by The New Yorker cartoonist Liza Donnelly reveals what goes through the minds of women cartoonists as they ply their trade.

by Paula Derrow

The Poorest U.S. Households Spend 95% of Their Income on Basic Needs

The cost of essentials has risen far faster than incomes over the past two decades, with women facing particular pressure from the growing cost of care.

by Josie Cox

Pronatalism is Desperate to Recruit Women Into Its Bizarre, Dark Reality

Pronatalists are part of a collection of niche right-wing movements that have discovered that they can lend one another political weight.

by Holly Baxter

Mothers of Small Children Make Up Less Than an Eighth of U.S. State Legislators

The numbers of women in state government has risen sharply since 2022, but new research finds that mothers — particularly those with very young children — remain significantly underrepresented.

by Josie Cox

The Horrible History of Medical Misogyny

Medical gaslighting and paternalism isn’t just a thing of the past; it’s baked into today’s healthcare systems, with devastating consequences.

by Lorraine Boissoneault

Grappling With the Loss of One of the Greats

Reflections from The Persistent as we come to terms with the death of Gloria Steinem.

by The Persistent

See All