How Three Women Led the Fight against Pertussis
As whooping cough killed thousands of kids annually, a trio of public health workers were deeply involved in the production and distribution of a vaccine.
Erasing Women from Science? There’s a Name for That
Countless women scientists have have been shunted to the footnotes, with credit for their work going to male colleagues. This is called the Matilda Effect.
How Mary Fields Became “Stagecoach Mary”
Born enslaved, she made her way to Montana and eventually became the first Black woman to deliver mail on a "star route."
Backlash Then, Backlash Now
“No feminist ever said the women’s movement was about women ‘having it all,’” Susan Faludi said. “In the 80s, it was falsely held up as a feminist promise broken.”
Mary Beard and the Beginning of Women’s History
She was one half of a powerhouse academic couple and an influential historian in her own right. But she's still often overlooked.
Lesbians in Prison: The Making of a Threat
A scandal at a Massachusetts women's prison marked a change in the construction of the "dangerous" female homosexual.
When Eartha Kitt Condemned Poverty and War at the White House
It was supposed to be a genteel luncheon with the first lady dedicated to discussing crime policy. The chanteuse had other ideas.
Giving Overdue Credit to Early Archaeologists’ Wives
These women labored alongside their famous husbands to produce world-renowned research.
Consciousness-Raising Groups and the Women’s Movement
In the 1970s, one of the most powerful tools of feminism came from speaking out loud the nature of oppression.
This Forgotten Female Orator Broke Boundaries for Women
At a time when respectable women rarely spoke to the public, Anne Laura Clarke was a star lecturer.