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Neon signs reading “Willkommen im Love Story” and “Caffe” with two women in lingerie at the entrance, illuminated by red lights.

Gender

idea

The reality of prostitution is not complex. It is simple

Prostitution is not sex and it’s not work. Its reality is far from complex – in fact, it’s simple. Trust me, I’ve done it

by Rachel Moran

A woman in period dress smiles while holding a small object depicting a nude seated figure.

Laughter and comedy

idea

Just when in history did men decide that women are not funny?

Women have been witty and bawdy throughout history. It’s only recently that men haven’t been able to see their funny side

by Joy Wiltenburg

Painting of a person in a hat smoking a cigarette, with a confident expression and a slightly tilted head.

Stories and literature

idea

Selfish, grumpy and unkind? That’s my kind of woman

Misanthropic female novelists and their characters make me hopeful for a future in which we shrug off feminine perfection

by Ellena Savage

A pair of yellow rubber cleaning gloves, with one crossed over the other, on a white background.

Love

idea

The problem with love is deciding who’s doing the dishes

The modern rhetoric of love is all about caring and sharing, and very little about equality and justice. Can philosophy help?

by Patricia Marino

Group of boys looking up, with one in focus and several others blurred in the background. The scene is outdoors.

Gender

idea

Talk of toxic masculinity puts the blame in all the wrong places

Toxic masculinity discourse harms vulnerable boys and men and distracts society from the true sources of gender inequity

by Heidi Matthews

A young woman in a red bikini and an older man in black trunks cool off at an outdoor shower, with a sunny beach background.

Gender

idea

What sex-difference science misses about the messy reality of sex

Men aren’t from Mars, women aren’t from Venus, and other persistent myths derived from debunked sex-difference science

by Jeffrey W Lockhart

Close-up of a person wearing round glasses, with a blurred background showing indistinct colours and shapes.

Sex and sexuality

idea

Does porn harm or help? Gender could matter in a surprising way

Whether porn use benefits or harms young adults’ sex lives is a contentious question. Data suggest some (nuanced) answers

by Nicolas Sommet & Jacques Berent

A blurred person walks past a large poster of a woman with long blonde hair and glossy lips.

Change and self-development

idea

The cult of being confident and why it doesn’t help women

By making women solely responsible for their own empowerment, the culture of confidence masks the true causes of inequality

by Rosalind Gill & Shani Orgad

A pensive-looking woman is listening to headphones on a bus on a rainy evening

Communication and language

idea

Listening in on horror: why many women love true crime podcasts

True crime podcasts turn violence against women into a form of entertainment. Why do so many female listeners enjoy them?

by Amelia Anthony

A portrait of a woman with powdered hair wearing a silk dress, lace collar, black choker, and a pink ribbon, seated against a dark background.

The body and physical health

idea

Menopause was a French invention at a time of revolution

French doctors of the 1800s had a vested interest in pathologising women’s ageing, as do many commercial entities today

by Alison M Downham Moore

A vintage photo showing people dressed in old-fashioned clothing, carrying baskets and bags, walking through a busy outdoor market area.

Thinkers and theories

idea

How the feminist philosopher Helene Stöcker canonised Nietzsche

Despite Nietzsche’s reputation for misogyny, his work inspired a leading women’s rights activist of the early 20th century

by Lydia Moland

Marble statue of Hermaphroditus, depicting a naked human figure with male and female features, leaning forward slightly and holding a draped cloth in one hand, set against a plain background. The statue lacks a head.

Gender

idea

There is nothing new about gender fluidity and nonconformity

From Mesopotamia and ancient Greece to precolonial India and medieval London, gender has always been more than a binary

by Chris Wheatley