Women's voices matter. Open this email if you agree.

*Weekly Digest | September 14, 2019*



*Letter From an Editor*

The urgency of women's voices in politics and policy-making came through as clear as ever in this week's headlines-too often, because they were missing.


When the Trump administration's so-called peace talks with the Taliban fell apart this weekend, feminists on the ground in Afghanistan, and their allies in the U.S., were quick to remind the global community that women's voices could have forged peace [ [link removed] ]-and that if and when the process advances, women must be included. [ [link removed] ] Census data on poverty released Tuesday proved that the administration's policies-including attacks on health care and social safety net programs-have also taken a terrible toll on women and families [ [link removed] ] here in the U.S.


Despite the number of women candidates on stage, and the Trump administration's recent attacks on Title X, the presidential debate Thursday failed to specifically address issues like reproductive justice or other recent political attempts to restrict women's rights. (Luckily, women candidates brought them up anyway [ [link removed] ].) Women's unique perspectives and experiences need to be part of policy-making-whether that means talking about the gender pain gap when we talk about the gender pay gap [ [link removed] ] or raising our voices to demand better for women raped in war [ [link removed] ].


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Nevertheless, there is some good news to celebrate: On Monday, Lilly Singh will bring a much-needed voice to the mix, making history as the first bisexual woman of color to host her own late-night show [ [link removed] ], and organizations like She TV Media [ [link removed] ] are laying the foundations for gender parity on-screen and behind-the-scenes. In the last 10 years, a wide-reaching movement for girls in Liberia has found its footing [ [link removed] ], and our latest installment of The Future is Ms.-our series of reports by young journalists on issues impacting young feminists-highlighted the incredible work of three girls in the U.S. intent on changing the world [ [link removed] ], all of whom have enough contagious optimism and passion to remedy our own frustrations with the current moment.

We will persist-as feminists always have.



Onward,




Carmen Rios
Managing Digital Editor, "Ms." _________________________________________



*More Must-Reads from Ms. *






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*How to Talk About Feminism in Politics When No One's Asking* [ [link removed] ]

If there hadn't been three female presidential candidates on stage, women in America would have been invisible on Thursday night-but instead, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar elegantly demonstrated how to talk about feminism when no one's asking.

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*Without Afghan Women, There Can Be No Peace* [ [link removed] ]

Studies have shown when women participate in peace processes, the resulting agreements are more successful and durable. Recent talks between the Trump administration and the Taliban didn't just disregard that data-they were also direct violation of the Women, Peace and Security Act of 2017 that requires the full and meaningful participation of women in U.S. peace negotiations. Afghan women have been demanding to be included in peace negotiations with the U.S. since they began. We should have listened to them.

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*The Ms. Q&A: What Ursula Macfarlane Learned by Investigating the Harvey Weinstein Scandal* [ [link removed] ]

"I feel that rape and sexual violence is so embedded in our culture that it will take much more than the expose of a Weinstein to begin the process of stamping it out. We know that the percentage of convictions for rape and sexual assault is very low. The complicity of the Hollywood community, which allowed Weinstein to act with impunity, is echoed throughout our culture: look at the Catholic Church, sports and many other industries. So until we can start to call out and dismantle complicity, predators will continue to stalk their victims. Speaking out is the first step, but it will take a long time."

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*Abortion Bans are an Attack on Democracy* [ [link removed] ]

Democracy should ensure that everyone-no matter where they live, what they look like or how much money they have-has an equal say in electing their leaders, advocating for policies that improve their lives and shaping decisions that impact their own long-term physical and economic security. Denying anyone their voting rights or abortion rights is a degradation to that aspiration.

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*The Sculptures Embodying Women's Unpaid Work* [ [link removed] ]

While U.S. women average more than four hours of unpaid labor in their homes and in their communities each day, U.S. men are only clocking a little more than half that amount, according to studies from senior gender expert Lucina Di Meco, Williams College Professor of Economics Lucie Schmidt and other experts. This is just one of the gendered economic disparities driving the works in Counting the Hours, an art exhibit currently open at the Code & Canvas Gallery in San Francisco.