Ruchi Kumar

2 months ago | theguardian.com | Ruchi Kumar

It was the middle of the night when Zarin Gul realised that her daughter Nasrin had to get to the hospital as soon as possible. Her daughter’s husband was away working in Iran and the two women were alone with Nasrin’s seven children when Nasrin, heavily pregnant with her eighth child, began experiencing severe pains. Gul helped Nasrin into a rickshaw and they set off into the night.

2 months ago | atmos.earth | Ruchi Kumar

Countless women have had their wombs removed under questionable medical advice—and climate change is making the situation worse. In early 2021, Bhanubai Madhulkar Shinde went to a local clinic in her village in Beed, a small district in western India, with complaints of heavy menstrual bleeding. “There was lots of pain during the monthly cycle.

2 months ago | thepersistent.com | Emma Haslett |Ruchi Kumar |Josephine Lethbridge

💛The following piece is republished with kind permission of our friends at The Evidence newsletter. The Evidence is a monthly deep-dive into the causes of gender inequality, written by Josephine Lethbridge. Every month, Josephine sifts through the latest academic research to help readers understand the gender gap—and how to begin to close it. Sign up for The Evidence here.

2 months ago | thepersistent.com | Emma Haslett |Ruchi Kumar |Gabriella Griffith

“Unprecedented.”That’s the word that, five years ago this month, wormed its way into our everyday lexicon, as almost every country on earth went into lockdown. Everything became unprecedented. Schools shut. Shops shuttered. Offices closed. As people were driven back into their homes to work, the unprecedented levels of uncertainty created intense stress for one group in particular: women.

2 months ago | thepersistent.com | Ruchi Kumar |Gabriella Griffith |Preeti Jha |Emma Haslett

Technology — 12 min read In recent months, my social media feeds have been filled with videos like this: A woman stands on a stage in a floaty blue dress. She is very beautiful. She holds a peacock. Cut to the British TV talent show judge Cheryl Tweedy. She is dubious. Cut back to the woman. She wiggles her hips. Now she is the peacock! Or, her head is the head of a peacock—her body still that of a sexy woman. Cut back to Tweedy.