Women Rule’s favorite stories of the year

Your definitive guide to women, politics and power.

Dec 23, 2022 View in browser   By Katelyn Fossett POLITICO illustration/Photo by iStock Good morning, rulers! We'll be off next week. I'll be using that time to hit the slopes, get in plenty of reading, watch the new Knives Out movie and clean my apartment (maybe). Thank you to Sophie Gardner for your help putting the newsletter together. In 2022, two major news stories threw into the question the presumption that women would continue making steady social and economic progress in the United States. In June, the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, taking away a federal right to abortion that supporters argue has allowed women to pursue economic and educational opportunities more fully. Throughout the year, women, particularly those with children, also continued to struggle with balancing work and family as schools and child care facilities grappled with the fallout from Covid-19. Coverage of these two issues made for some of the most urgent, necessary journalism on women and gender in years. Women in power also made headlines throughout the year, thrust into the spotlight as the architect of Roe's downfall, the lead January 6 investigator and the new face of MAGA. Here are Women Rule's favorite stories of the year. Catch up on some of them over the holidays. Supreme Court has voted to overturn abortion rights, draft opinion shows, by Josh Gerstein and Alex Ward, POLITICO This Texas teen wanted an abortion. She now has twins, by Caroline Kitchener, the Washington Post The Institutionalist, by Rebecca Traister, The Cut Because of Texas' abortion law, her wanted pregnancy became a medical nightmare, by Carrie Feibel, NPR What Really Happened at the Amber Heard–Johnny Depp Trial, by Michael Hobbes, Slate The woman who killed Roe, by Kerry Howley, The Cut The impenetrable armor of Elise Stefanik, by Ruby Cramer, the Washington Post 'Republicans Abandoned Me': Meet the Dobbs Voters of Michigan, by Alice Miranda Ollstein, POLITICO 20 Ways the Supreme Court Just Changed America, by Politico Magazine Women in the workplace, 2022, by Leanin.org and McKinsey   Sponsored by Business Leader members of Women Rule: The Exchange: More than 800,000 women are still missing from workplaces compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to the National Women's Law Center. So, what must happen to improve the future of work for women? POLITICO Focus connected with members of Women Rule: The Exchange to discuss driving positive change. Read more here.   POLITICO Special Report Steve Helber/AP Photo "Virginia Dems move to elect state's first Black woman to Congress," by Madison Fernandez for POLITICO: "Democrats in a vacant Richmond-based congressional district nominated Virginia state Sen. Jennifer McClellan for the seat, putting her on a path to becoming the state's first Black woman in Congress. "McClellan was one of four Democrats on the ballot Tuesday in the Virginia 4th Congressional District's quick-turnaround "firehouse primary," along with state Sen. Joe Morrissey, Joseph Preston and Tavorise Marks. The seat was previously held by the late Democratic Rep. Don McEachin, who died on Nov. 28, just weeks after winning reelection. "Abortion roiled the midterms. Now it will define the presidential race," by Alice Miranda Ollstein and Meridith McGraw for POLITICO: "Donald Trump delivered the Supreme Court majority that voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, signed a laundry list of executive actions that chipped away at abortion access and openly embraced the anti-abortion movement, becoming the first sitting president to appear in person at the annual March for Life in 2020. Yet the response from anti-abortion groups when he announced his 2024 presidential campaign was, in more careful and polite terms: Take a number. "We look forward to President Trump and all presidential contenders outlining their pro-life vision and policy platform in the new Dobbs era as the primary election unfolds," said Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser — one of several abortion opponents with muted responses to Trump's announcement.   Sponsored by Business Leader members of Women Rule: The Exchange: In The Round: A conversation on the new rules of work.   Number of the Week Read more here. MUST READS Stringer/ Getty Images "'What was their sacrifice for?': Devastation for female Afghan students stripped of education," by Masoud Popalzai and Jessie Yeung for CNN: "Kabul, Afghanistan — The 21-year-old student had been studying hard for weeks as she prepared for the final exams of her first year of university. She was almost done, with just two exams left, when she heard the news: the Taliban government was suspending university education for all female students in Afghanistan. "'I did not stop and kept studying for the exam,' she told CNN on Wednesday. 'I went to the university in the morning anyway.' "But it was no use. She arrived to find armed Taliban guards at the gates of her campus in Kabul, the Afghan capital, turning away every female student who tried to enter." "U.S. House passes equal pay bill in latest women's soccer win," by Eddie Pells for the Associated Press. "A Secret Society Tied to the Underground Railroad Fights to Save Its Home," by Dodai Stewart for The New York Times: "On a brisk morning in November, bright yellow leaves from a huge ginkgo tree scattered onto the front yard of 87 MacDonough Street. Under peeling paint and missing cornices, Essie Gregory stood on the steps of the ramshackle mansion in the heart of the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn with a small group of visitors. "As a passer-by craned his neck to see what was going on, Ms. Gregory, 74, opened the front door, giving her guests a rare glimpse inside the New York headquarters of the United Order of Tents Eastern District No. 3." "When Food Is Scarce, Women Suffer Most," by Ritu Sharma for TIME. Quote of the Week Read more here. Transitions Raquel Silva is now director for Colombia and Chile at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. She most recently was the Brazil and Argentina desk officer at the International Trade Administration. (h/t Playbook) … Susan Buikema-Miller is now director of communications for Lockheed Martin Government Affairs. She was previously the CIA's press secretary. … Elina Noor will join Carnegie Endowment as a senior fellow for Southeast Asian studies. She is currently the deputy director and director of political-security affairs at the Asia Society Policy Institute. (h/t Nat Sec Daily).   Sponsored by Business Leader members of Women Rule: The Exchange: When it comes to the state of work, there's good news and bad news for women. Research from McKinsey, in partnership with LeanIn.Org, found that female leaders are leaving their employers at never-before-seen rates, often in exchange for opportunities that prioritize flexibility and wellbeing, along with diversity, equity and inclusion. And yet, more than 800,000 women are still missing from workplaces compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to the National Women's Law Center.  Now, business leaders and employees alike are considering what's next. What must happen next to improve the future of work for women? POLITICO Focus sat down with members of Women Rule: The Exchange to discuss how women are driving change in the workplace, and what organizations and policymakers can do to join them. Read on to learn what needs to happen to help all women thrive at work.     Follow us on Twitter Katelyn Fossett @KatelynFossett   Follow us

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