Sor Juana, Founding Mother of Mexican Literature
How a 17th-century nun wrote poetry, dramas, and comedies that took on the inequities and double standards women faced in society.
To Reduce Infant Mortality, Train the Babysitters
“Little Mothers’ Leagues,” a program started by Dr. S. Josephine Baker at the turn of the last century, taught school-age girls to care for babies.
Judith Butler: The Early Years
Before Judith Butler's 1990 book Gender Trouble, the influential gender theorist wrote a series of essays that offer easier access to her ideas.
The Filipino Novel That Reimagined Neocolonial Gender
Revisiting an essential Asian American work, beloved for its synthesis of neocolonialism, postmodernism, and central queer and female characters.
How War Revolutionized Ireland’s Linen Industry
During the Napoleonic Wars, Irish women, who had traditionally only spun flax into thread, took over the traditionally male job of weaving linen as well.
A Feminist Vision of the Musical
Chantal Akerman’s The Eighties proves that a musical set in a mall can be a significant feminist work.
A Mini History of the Tiny Purse
The purse has always been political, a reflection of changing economic realities and gender roles.
The Life of Forgotten Poet Letitia Elizabeth Landon
She was known as the "female Byron." So why doesn't anyone read L.E.L. anymore?
Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, “The Black Swan”
Born into slavery, Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield broke barriers with every note she sang.
Blaming Women for Infertility in the 1940s
In the early days of fertility treatments, some doctors theorized that women’s unconscious hatred of their husbands kept them from conceiving.