Women around the world
A selection of our coverage about the lives of women
The economics of being a woman
How motherhood hurts careers
A new study measures its impact on women’s employment worldwide
Married women in Japan are re-entering the labour market
Legislators see them as the country’s hidden asset
The economics of thinness
It is economically rational for ambitious women to try as hard as possible to be thin
As Ukrainian men head off to fight, women take up their jobs
Mining is one big example
Melinda French Gates on how leaders can boost women’s economic power
The case for doing so has never been stronger, argues the philanthropist
Ginni Rometty on how to ensure more women work in tech
The former boss of IBM thinks firms should remove degree requirements from more roles
Women and politics
Narendra Modi wants a lot more women in Indian politics
India’s female political representation is worse than Pakistan’s
The woman at the heart of Europe
Ursula von der Leyen speaks to us about Russia, China and more
Women’s voices are judged more harshly than men’s
Assailed for imaginary vocal foibles, women walk a thin line between shrill and mannish
The Americas in 2024
Mexico will elect its first female president
The question is how much she will be like her predecessor
Why French women no longer wear high heels
A footwear revolution in the world’s fashion capital
Sandra Day O’Connor specialised in breaking into male bastions
The first woman justice on America’s Supreme Court died on December 1st, aged 93
Women and society
Mieko Kawakami on how men can make the world better for women
Fathers must confront their unconscious assumptions, says the Japanese writer
1843 magazine | Mimi was sold to a pimp. Now she fights people-traffickers in Niger
How will the coup affect the battle against the trans-Saharan slave trade?
Why more women are picking up power tools
Sisters are doing it for themselves
Outrage against femicide is spreading in Italy
A well-aired case of murder is challenging patriarchal attitudes
A TV drama about Taiwanese politics has sparked a social reckoning
The response to “Wave Makers” is a case of life imitating art imitating life
Forough Farrokhzad gave voice to Iranian women’s despair and defiance
“If you want these bonds broken,” the 20th-century poet wrote, “grasp the skirt of obstinacy”
Women and health
How to save the lives of 200,000 women a year
Maternal deaths are being prevented, but not quickly enough
Making babymaking better
IVF is failing most women. But new research holds out hope for the future
The fertility sector is booming
But many women must go abroad to afford treatment: the third article in our special series
The Weekend Intelligence
The hope and the heartbreak of IVF
A personal story from two Economist correspondents, over five years, whose lives followed parallel tracks in their quest for a baby
49:14
The first endometriosis drug in four decades is on the horizon
At last, progress is being made on a condition that affects one woman in ten
How medicine discriminates against non-white people and women
Many devices and treatments work less well for them
Strife in the Middle East
An Israeli scholar explains why he no longer supports the war in Gaza
It is now being run mainly for the benefit of Binyamin Netanyahu, argues David Enoch
Deposing Israel’s king
America wants Binyamin Netanyahu out. But his exit is fraught with dangers
Hopes for a truce in Gaza give way to fears of a long stalemate
The fighting has continued into Ramadan, but neither Israel nor Hamas can achieve much
A shadowy wartime economy has emerged in Gaza
Clans, gangs and dodgy businessmen prosper while Israel clobbers Gaza
Women and sports
Should women’s football have different rules from men’s?
Women are not just smaller men
ACL injuries are a growing problem
And one that particularly afflicts women
How menstruation affects athletic prowess is poorly understood
Changing that will give sportswomen a new way to improve performance
E-sports are trying to encourage more women to compete
For now, all the top players are male
After an unsuccessful boycott, women’s tennis is back in China
The governing body admits defeat in its push for women’s rights
Women’s football is becoming bigger and better
The World Cup reflects the game’s growth and increasing competitiveness
The next generation of women
1843 magazine | The hopes and dreams of Ukraine’s teenage refugees
Photographer Polly Braden has followed the lives of schoolgirls who fled after Russia’s invasion
1843 magazine | Why I opened a secret school for Afghan girls
When the Taliban cracked down on girls’ education, one woman knew what she had to do
Why educating girls is even more important than people realise
It makes them richer, healthier and more free. And their children inherit these advantages
Malala Yousafzai explains why girls must be free to learn—and to lead
The Nobel peace-prize laureate is By Invitation’s first guest editor. She introduces her series on girls’ education
Awesome, weird and everything else
Being a girl is special, difficult and better than it used to be
Notable lives
Vivienne Westwood sowed never-ending revolution all through the fashion world
The designer and iconoclast died on December 29th, aged 81
Elinor Otto did not realise what giant strides she was making for women
The longest-working “Rosie the Riveter” died on November 12th, aged 104
Vivian Silver knew no good could ever come of war
The veteran Canadian-Israeli peace activist has been confirmed killed on October 7th, aged 74
Isabel Crook devoted her long life to making a new China
The Canadian anthropologist and teacher died on August 20th, aged 107
Vera Putina claimed to be Vladimir Putin’s real mother
The resident of dirt-poor Metekhi, in Georgia, died on May 31st, aged 97
Tina Turner turned a tough life into splendour
The singer and ultimate performing artist died on May 24th, aged 83