Looking Back, Moving Forward

The Equal Rights Amendment was sent to the states for ratification the same year Ms. made its newsstand debut. It took nearly 50 years to bring the ERA to a successful vote in the Senate and House; and today, more than 50 years since, the fight to enshrine it in the Constitution goes on.

The ERA would expand and protect many of the gains feminists have made in the last 50-plus years, acting as a "safety net" for women&apos...

Ms. made history when it put domestic violence and sexual harassment on the cover, commissioned the first national survey on campus sexual violence, and instigated a successful campaign to change the FBI’s definition of rape. But 50-plus years since Ms. hit newsstands, women are still being impacted every day by gender-based violence and harassment—and survivors of violence continue to be blamed and disbelieved.

This episode traces ...

Women have experienced multiple economic upheavals since the founding of Ms., but one thing remains true: economic inequity is still shaping women’s lives — especially for women of color, LGBTQ women, women with disabilities, and low-income women. Ms. has long given voice to the economic disparities women face, and the nuances within our economic experiences along intersectional lines. 

In this episode of "Looking Back, Moving ...

Ms. launched with a bold declaration: Women were having abortions, and the law should allow for it. In the more than 50 years since, abortion access, abortion laws, anti-abortion violence, and abortion’s connection to larger feminist issues have remained core to the magazine. 

In this episode of "Looking Back, Moving Forward," host Carmen Rios traces the feminist fight for bodily autonomy — from Roe to Dobbs and beyond — a...

What would a truly representative democracy look like — and why don’t we have one?

Looking Back, Moving Forward launches with a focus on women’s growing political power and how feminists can, and must, shape the future of government, policy, and lawmaking. 

Our democracy is under attack, and a more representative democracy is the answer. This week, Carmen explores how we can strengthen our democracy by lifting up women and other marg...

A new podcast from Ms. Studios, hosted by feminist superstar and Ms. consulting editor Carmen Rios, will trace the intertwined history of Ms. magazine and the feminist movement it has given voice to for over 50 years — and explore where the fight for gender equality must go next. 

By examining the legacy of America’s longest-running feminist magazine, Looking Back, Moving Forward explores how we got to where we are now — and how our...