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A few months ago, a dear friend of mine in New Zealand phoned to give me some exciting news:  her country had just made history as female lawmakers in Parliament became the majority for the first time. “About blimmin’ time,” one of the women legislators told reporters as the country’s legislative body tipped to 60…

Years ago, when I was a newspaper reporter working full-time and raising two young children as a single mother, I went to see my doctor.  I was tired and achy, and couldn’t seem to shake my flu-like symptoms. Dr. Woodward looked over my chart and said, “Do you know that you have been to see…

I recently finished an engrossing historical novel called “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” by Lisa See, in which the author introduces her readers to nu shu, the phonetic, secret-code writing used for hundreds of years by women in a remote area of southern China.  Developed a thousand years ago, it is thought to be…

Have you noticed lately how many truth-tellers — commonly known as “whistleblowers” — in this country are women? A star example is Cassidy Hutchinson, the young former White House aide whose volcanic testimony in June riveted viewers watching the public hearings of the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack. A whistleblower of another…

In 1979 I met Julia Child, the iconic “French Chef” of television and cookbook fame.  She and her husband, Paul, came to a reception in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to meet the new class of Nieman Fellows, mid-career journalists who had been selected to study at Harvard for an academic year.  I was lucky enough to be…

The cri de coeur from U.S.  Supreme Court nominee Kentanji Brown Jackson at her confirmation hearings earlier this spring pierced my heart, too. “I’m saving a special moment in this introduction for my daughters, Talia and Leila,” now-Justice-Elect Jackson said.  “Girls, I know it has not been easy as I’ve tried to navigate the challenges of juggling…

One of my granddaughters is a topnotch volleyball and basketball player at her middle school.  Her younger sister is a crackerjack softball player and also a superlative gymnast.  Does this mean these girls might be more interested in running for public office one day than their not-so-athletic friends?   Perhaps — particularly if they continue playing…

When I was a kid growing up in suburban Detroit, I loved to watch my Detroit Tigers play baseball.  I couldn’t wait to tune in to their games on television or listen to them on the radio. My father, a true sports fan, often took me to see “the Boys of Summer” at the team’s…

Traditionally, the new year is viewed as a time of rebirth.  We’ve taken stock of our losses and are ready to begin our lives anew – with vim, vigor, and vitality.  And hope. Except that, after enduring two years of death and disruption caused by the coronavirus, a new, extremely contagious variant called Omicron has…

The year 2021 was a mixed bag for women, with momentous gains notched alongside disheartening losses.   On the plus side, we saw the first woman – who is also the first woman of color – sworn in as Vice President of the United States. We saw a historic number of women take their seats in…