Women's Rights

An 18th-century illustration of a jury of matrons

How All-Female 'Juries of Matrons' Shaped Legal History

Courts called on these jurors to determine whether women sentenced to death were pregnant or faking it to avoid execution

Jenn Colella as Carrie Chapman Catt (center) in Suffs, a new Broadway musical about the women's suffrage movement

What the Broadway Musical 'Suffs' Gets Right (and Wrong) About the History of Women's Suffrage

The new show serves as an entertaining history lesson, but even that has its creative limits

As one of the first female-only programs of its kind in Tanzania, Exodus Travels Foundation provides intensive three-week training sessions for local women who want to obtain their guide license through its Mountain Lioness Scholarship.

Five Programs Paving the Way for Gender Equality Worldwide

Around the globe, teams of women are taking on traditionally male-dominated roles

Heterodoxy's illustrious members included (clockwise from top right) Marie Jenney Howe, Susan Glaspell, Crystal Eastman, Rose Pastor Stokes, Doris Stevens, Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Rheta Childe Dorr.

The All-Woman Secret Society That Paved the Way for Modern Feminism

Based in Greenwich Village, Heterodoxy had just one requirement for membership: An applicant must "not be orthodox in her opinion"

“Happy Birthday” may be the Hill sisters' main claim to fame, but Patty (left) and Mildred's (right) impact on American history extends far beyond the beloved song.

The Forgotten Sisters Behind 'Happy Birthday to You'

Mildred and Patty Hill wrote the popular song's melody, but their contributions to American culture have long been overlooked

Some of the women diarists featured in the new anthology. Top row, left to right: Ada Blackjack, Anne Clifford, Florence Nightingale, Fanny Burney and Anna Dostoyevskaya. Bottom row, left to right: Elizabeth Fry, Cynthia Asquith, Beatrice Webb, Charlotte Forten Grimké and Virginia Woolf 

What Is the Dominant Emotion in 400 Years of Women's Diaries?

A new anthology identifies frustration as a recurring theme in journals written between 1599 and 2015

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How to Separate Fact From Myth in the Extraordinary Story of Sojourner Truth

Two historians tell us why the pioneering 19th-century feminist, suffragist and abolitionist’s legacy has so frequently been misrepresented

A close-up of Sojourner Truth’s face in statue created by Woodrow Nash. An 1883 New York Times obituary described Truth’s “tall, masculine-looking figure” and “deep, guttural, powerful voice.”

The Remarkable Untold Story of Sojourner Truth

Feminist. Preacher. Abolitionist. Civil rights pioneer. Now the full story of the American icon's life and faith is finally coming to light

A pair of illustrations from Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White, which launched the sensation novel trend of the 1860s

The Sensation Novelist Who Exposed the Plight of Victorian Women

Wilkie Collins drew on his legal training to dramatize the inequality caused by outdated laws regarding marital and property rights

Sandra Day O'Connor, Michael Arthur Worden Evans, circa 1982

How Sandra Day O’Connor Brought Compromise to the Supreme Court

The first woman justice to serve on the nation's highest court died on Friday at age 93

Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter dancing at the presidential Inaugural Ball in January 1977

From the Governor's Mansion to the White House and Beyond, Rosalynn Carter Was a Tireless Advocate for the Vulnerable

Smithsonian experts reflect on the life and legacy of the former first lady, who died Sunday at age 96

Narges Mohammadi, pictured here in April 2021, won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for advocating for women's rights in Iran.

Nobel Peace Prize Goes to Iranian Rights Activist Narges Mohammadi

Mohammadi, who is currently in prison, is at the forefront of the fight against oppression in Iran

Pamela Singh's Chipko Tree Huggers of the Himalayas #4, 1994

London Exhibition Explores the Link Between Gender and Ecology

"Re/Sisters," now open at the Barbican Art Gallery, features the works of nearly 50 women and nonbinary artists

McMurdo Station in Antarctica

Women Report Rampant Sexual Harassment and Assault at Antarctica's McMurdo Research Station

Speaking publicly for the first time, women detailed incidents of violence that had been minimized by employers, per an exposé in the Associated Press

Nebraska's football stadium in Lincoln was so packed that additional seats were added on the field.

Nebraska Volleyball Sets New World Record for Attendance at a Women's Sporting Event

A total of 92,003 fans packed into the university's football stadium on Wednesday night

KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz

Swiss Seniors Are Suing Over Climate Change's Threat to Their Health

Amid record-setting heat, the group of women argue that their government's failure to cut fossil fuel emissions has violated their human rights

A plate from the Birth Atlas, the Maternity Center Association's manual depicting the entire Birth Series using photography and line plate drawing

At the 1939 World’s Fair, Robert Latou Dickinson Demystified Pregnancy for a Curious Public

The gynecologist and sculptor’s “Birth Series” broke barriers, but how do his views on abortion, race and women’s health square with what we know today?

The monument, designed by artists Amanda Williams and Olalekan B. Jeyifous, will be placed at an entrance to Prospect Park.

A Monument Honoring Shirley Chisholm, the First Black Congresswoman, Is Coming to Brooklyn

After years of delays, New York City officially approved a statue commemorating the borough native and political trailblazer

Barbie has held more than 250 jobs since her debut in 1959.

When Barbie Broke the Glass Ceiling

The iconic doll traveled to space, flew with the Thunderbirds and joined the NBA, beating real-life women to an array of career milestones

Opill was first approved by the FDA about 50 years ago, but until now, users needed a prescription to access it.

FDA Approves First Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill

Experts say the decision will increase access to safe and effective contraceptives for millions of Americans

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