Happy Friday! Welcome to our Media Round-Up. Each week we’re collecting and sharing our favorite gender + politics stories. Here’s what caught our eye this week:

What The Texas Abortion Ban Does—And What It Means For Other States

Sarah McCammon, NPR

A new law in Texas went into effect this week which bans abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. The law bans abortions “as soon as the cardiac activity is detectable,” and it permits private citizens to sue anyone who assists a woman in getting an abortion (including medical providers, individuals providing financial or transportation assistance). Other conservative states are expected to follow suit and enact similar laws if the Texas ban stands.

In terms of next steps in Texas, “Multiple court challenges to the law are underway, including several lawsuits in state court in Texas targeting anti-abortion-rights groups including Texas Right to Life. Abortion rights groups are also organizing protests and demonstrations in Texas in opposition to the law.”

Read the full story here.

Black women’s unemployment is up as hospitality and retail stopped adding jobs in August

Chabeli Carrazana, The 19^th*

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the latest jobs data today (Friday, 9/3), and the results show that about 41,000 women left the workforce in August, while 139,000 men joined. Looking at the data for women, who have largely been disproportionately affected by the pandemic’s economic impacts: “Black women bore the majority of the losses. They were the only group for whom unemployment went up, to 7.9 percent from 7.6 percent.  Latina unemployment went down to 6 percent, Asian and White women’s unemployment is down to 4.2 percent. (BLS does not collect data on nonbinary people, and does not have monthly data on Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.).”

Read the full story here.

Breakthrough mayor’s race creates tough choice for Boston

Lisa Kashinsky, Politico

Earlier this year, Kim Janey became the first woman and first Black person to serve as Boston’s mayor. Now, the city has a mayoral candidate field some are calling an “embarrassment of riches,” as all five individuals in the race are people of color, four of them women.

The unprecedented nature of the race is surfacing unprecedented choices for voters, including groups of progressive activists and Boston’s Black community.

“After nearly 200 years of being led by white men, Boston could have its first female mayor, its first Black mayor, its first Asian-American mayor or its first Arab-American mayor this fall….the deep well of experienced, non-white candidates is widely cheered within the city’s Democratic apparatus. But the same milestone is proving challenging to navigate.”

Read the full story here.

As the pandemic grinds on, women are hitting their limit

Beth Teitell, Boston Globe

“The pandemic has caused such burnout — and laid bare the greater burden shouldered by women — that Boston therapist Elaine Espada is currently coaching multiple women on how to say a single word. ‘No.’”

Over a year since the start of Covid, many women are continuing to feel dispirited and overwhelmed by childcare, home-schooling, housework, and job losses (which have disproportionately impacted women). In response, some women are turning down activities like parties or family gatherings, or setting more boundaries with unpaid work, and more.

Read the full story here.