In this episode, we unpack the state of the world. It's been five since the United States exited Afghanistan. How are women doing? The exit process followed the a 2020 Doha Agreement signed by the Trump administration and the Taliban. Gains for women's rights were immediately under attack. As reports show, the Afghan government collapsed as the Taliban seized Kabul five years ago, on August 15, 2021. While the drama of the mass exodus and airlifts are still visible in the minds of many, have the plight of women and girls been left behind. Joining Dr. Goodwin to unpack these issues is Dr. Sima Samar. She served as Afghanistan's first Minister of Women's Affairs and as Vice President/Deputy Chair of the Interim Administration.

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What's the deal with tradwives? From Turning Point to Instagram, the movement has found a strong following—and built a commercial empire. It's even hit the runways, marketing "traditional" clothing to women as the next wave of what's fashion forward. But what's behind the curtain? Beyond the idyllic images of returning to the prairie and a slower pace of life, there's discontent, abuse and women who want out.

Joining us to unpack the movement is a very special guest:

• Madeline Peltz is a writer, journalist and researcher, born in Chicago. Over the last decade, her reporting has appeared on Media Matters for America, MS Now, Newsweek, and elsewhere. She is the author of Good Girls and Alpha Males: How the Conservative Media Is Recruiting Gen Z.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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In this special episode, Dr. Michele Goodwin, host of Ms. magazine’s flagship podcast, On the Issues, reflects on Gloria Steinem’s courageous life and enduring legacy, including her fight for contraception and abortion rights, women’s political power and participation, equal pay for equal work, and ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. Steinem passed away at the age of 92, surrounded by many people who loved her, in peace at home in New York City on September 2, 2026.

In this episode, Dr. Goodwin recalls Steinem’s unwavering sense of justice and powerful truth-telling, which led to her co-founding Ms. magazine with Dorothy Pitman Hughes. Unlike any popular magazine or publication before it, Ms. addresed women's social, economic, and political perspectives and reported on discrimination against them. It took women seriously. It spoke directly to their concerns and women were hungry for it. The magazine sold out in its first week. Gloria Steinem lit a revolution.

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