JULY 2024 | Not to be all doom and gloom, but the next pandemic might be right around the corner, experts warn – it’s “inevitable.” We’ve heard of Disease X in the last few months, and although no clear global threat has been identified for now (despite the current worldwide cholera outbreaks), the world isn’t equipped to face another global pandemic quite yet.

MAY 2024 | It’s tough when, in the wake of an election where populism triumphs, we’re reminded how big of a role and responsibility journalism holds in what happens in society. We might avoid thinking about it on the daily or even somehow momentarily forget, but when the results of a ballot are confirmed, we have to face the facts: The news industry played a part in this outcome.

APRIL 2024 | 2024 is an election year in over 80 countries. Whether local, national, or international, these ballots are connected to the broader world context. While the top concerns for potential electors seem to be inflation, poverty, and social inequality, many politicians have chosen to put migration (once again) on their list of priorities when campaigning.

MARCH 2024 | Since our 2023 IWD special, a lot has happened, but it sometimes feels like little has changed for the better. Still, personally, I can’t help but feel a little more hopeful than I did last year about this day. And I think it’s for one all-encompassing reason: collectiveness.

FEBRUARY 2024 | 2023 was dubbed by many news outlets “the year of the girl.” Although popular culture’s obsession with all things “girl” (remember “girl math”?) might be temporary, it might serve us all to use this momentum as a hook, and go further than existential discussions on the meanings of girlhood and womanhood. Let’s connect the dots with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields.

JANUARY 2024 | This Sunday will be Data Privacy Day. It’s not exactly the most famous international day in existence (personally I didn’t even know of it before looking up international days happening in January), but we saw it coming up and we thought, why not take it as an opportunity to talk about online security?

DECEMBER 2023 | “We should have a place at that table.” In this issue of In the Balance, we approach violence through peace, and look at history and women’s contributions to not just making, but building peace.

NOVEMBER 2023 | COP28 is set to open in Dubai, under the presidency of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s CEO. A move that’s been called out by climate defenders and researchers. Clearly, for this COP, most of the attention is going to be on the discussions around fossil fuels. And so, we’ve chosen to invite you to explore with us a different angle: the climate x food systems x gender nexus.

OCTOBER 2023 | When millions of working parents all over the world found themselves stuck at home because of the Covid-19 pandemic, it became clear that childcare should be a high-priority issue for governments. More than three years later, little has changed, and women around the world still get the short end of the stick. But as it turns out: childcare would not only benefit women and families, but the economy, too. The proof’s in the numbers.

OCTOBER 2023 | For the first time in history, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the Nobel Prize in economic sciences to a woman only: Claudia Goldin. Since it was announced, the win has shed light on Goldin’s research on women’s work in the United States. It’s safe to say that there hasn’t been this many news stories about the gender pay gap in the news in a while. Why, though?

SEPTEMBER 2023 | If you’re anywhere in the world where it’s back-to-school season, you’ve certainly received your fair share of emails on that lately. But worry not, there is none of that here. We’re just here to try to sprinkle on you some inspiration for a smooth vacation-to-work transition (or work-to-work continuation, in which case we hope that you’re taking a break soon). Pitching your next gender-sensitive story will be a breeze.

JULY 2023 | After diving into the most covered beat in the news in May, this month we’re shining a spotlight on a topic that is often considered as one of the least prestigious among journalists: pop culture. Yet big moments in popular culture are always a good opportunity to connect the dots with bigger issues and evolutions in our societies.

JUNE 2023 | Although it might feel like we've reached an advanced stage of awareness towards sexist pitfalls, gender bias is still deeply rooted in political news, and it doesn't always show blatantly. It can be a seemingly innocent adjective, a piece of information we believe fleshes out a story, or even a certain sense of logic that is unnoticeably based on stereotypes. But even subtleties can prevent women’s political ambitions from ever really forming.

MAY 2023 | When we say “women’s health,” what generally comes to mind is women’s reproductive health. But there’s more to it. To try and open up new perspectives, we’re going back to the basics of health and looking into some of the challenges regarding women and health that could use some closer attention and follow-up in the news.

MARCH 2023 | From Ukraine to Afghanistan, from the United States to Iran (to only name a few), women were at the heart of a lot of breaking news in 2022. But before the news breaks, it builds. Which led us to wonder about the stories that still haven’t made the headlines, that are happening in the background, quietly setting up the next breaking news, and affecting millions of women on an everyday basis.

FEBRUARY 2023 | Have you ever heard of the gender data gap? No? Well, the world as we know it was kind of built on it.

JANUARY 2023 | with the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting a few days away, we thought we’d grab our gender lens and examine how economic news includes women. Contrary to Benoit Blanc’s latest investigation, this one isn’t a Glass Onion type of situation. The layers are real, and we’re peeling them.

DECEMBER 2023 | “If we don’t include women, we miss out on half the expertise in the world.” These words are courtesy of Laura Aumeer, our guest for this newsletter, in a talk revolving around the role women play in peace processes. Women are not only disproportionately affected by wars and conflicts but also how they are contributing to peacemaking and conflict prevention.

NOVEMBER 2023 | With COP27 only a couple of days away, we figured climate would (and should) be at the heart of the news. So this first newsletter is all about covering the climate crisis with a gender-focused approach.