Women's Rights

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

An illustration of Anthony Comstock, published in Puck magazine in 1906

The 150-Year-Old Comstock Act Could Transform the Abortion Debate

Once considered a relic of moral panics past, the 1873 law criminalized sending "obscene, lewd or lascivious" materials through the mail

Tillie Black Bear accepts congratulations from President Bill Clinton after receiving the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award in December 2000.

Tillie Black Bear Was the Grandmother of the Anti-Domestic Violence Movement

The Lakota advocate helped thousands of domestic abuse survivors, Native and non-Native alike

Mina’s goal was to keep the home—and women—central in modern society. Building on the home economists who came before her, she sought to define women’s work as work rather than a vague, idealized calling.

Mina Miller Edison Was Much More Than the Wife of the 'Wizard of Menlo Park'

The second wife of Thomas Edison, she viewed domestic labor as a science, calling herself a "home executive"

First lady Jill Biden presenting the Best Song For Social Change award to singer Shervin Hajipour

Iranian Protest Anthem That Led to Singer's Arrest Wins a Grammy

First lady Jill Biden presented the inaugural Best Song For Social Change award

Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti was welcomed by friends and colleagues on Wednesday after being released from prison on bail.

Iran Releases Taraneh Alidoosti, the Famous Actress Arrested for Supporting Protests

Alidoosti had criticized Iran's brutal crackdown on protests following the death of Mahsa Amini

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The Little-Known Story of the Women Who Stood Up to General Motors and Demanded Equal Pay

In the 1930s, Florence St. John and her co-workers at an automotive plant won a hard-fought victory for fairness

Attorney Gloria Allred (left) and Norma McCorvey (right), the anonymous plaintiff in Roe v. Wade, during a pro-choice rally in Burbank, California, on July 4, 1989

Who Was Norma McCorvey, the Woman Behind Roe v. Wade?

Dubbed "Jane Roe," McCorvey sought an abortion after becoming pregnant in 1969 but was thwarted by Texas' restrictive reproductive laws

Members of the Janes in 1972

When Abortion Was Illegal, Chicago Women Turned to the Jane Collective

A new documentary spotlights the group that helped thousands seeking abortions in the 1960s and '70s

In a 1929 column, Amelia Earhart name-checked Keating as an example of a woman in aviation who had beaten the odds, writing, "She photographs from the air and helps make the beautifully accurate maps which compose aerial surveys."

In 1920s New York, This Woman Typist Became a Pioneering Aerial Photographer

Edith Keating survived the Halifax Explosion and eventually took to the skies, marking a path for other women to fly in her wake

The archive of written work and speeches delivered by suffragists simply doesn’t indicate that abortion was at the forefront of discussions about women’s rights during the mid-19th to early 20th centuries.

What Did the Suffragists Really Think About Abortion?

Contrary to contemporary claims, Susan B. Anthony and her peers rarely discussed abortion, which only emerged as a key political issue in the 1960s

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