The best documentaries depicting womanhood you can stream right now

Defining womanhood in 2017 is messy. There are about 3.7 billion of us out there, and every one of us is living a different experience. But if you have access to Netflix or HBO, you have a window into other womens’ lives.

These 12 documentaries try their best to give a glimpse into the female experience across the world – from girls in High School and women in sex work to female activists and pageant girls. Watch them yourselves, show your friends, and sit the men in your life down to watch.

Netflix

Miss Representation

“Explore how the mainstream media’s often disparaging portrayals of women contribute to the under-representation of females in positions of leadership”

This movie will open your eyes to how women are depicted in modern media, why, and how it affects us everyday.

The Hunting Ground

“This expose tackles the disturbing epidemic of sexual assault on college campuses and school officials’ efforts to cover up the crimes.”

This glimpse into campus life will have you wanting to dedicate your life to fighting college rape culture.

Hot Girls Wanted

“This 2015 Sundance Film Festival breakout documentary from producer Rashida Jones spotlights the “amateur” porn industry and the women it exploits.”

This fresh perspective on female sex work will help you to understand how modern technology has changed the porn game and its players.

Growing Up Coy

“Filmmakers follow a Colorado family’s highly public battle for the rights of their transgender daughter, Coy, in a landmark civil rights case.”

This film emphasizes the importance of Trans narratives in modern womanhood and is a great look at the current struggles of members of the Trans community.

Embrace

“Activist-media sensation Taryn Brumfitt leads a crusade to shed negative body images and body shaming to create a new way of perceiving our bodies.”

Body positivity is an important part of modern feminist movements and this film presents the body posi political and personal movements.

To Be A Miss

“Explore how the media and nationalism have fueled Venezuela’s passion for physical appearance and the multibillion-dollar beauty pageant industry.”

Also discussing the role of bodies in modern womanhood, “To Be A Miss” is an important look at the institutions that intersect in pageants – a common cultural practice around the world.

Ukraine Is Not A Brothel

“This documentary focuses on the Ukrainian feminist group Femen, whose members want to empower women by baring their breasts to protest exploitation.”

This film is an important look into the grassroots form of female activism and how women are changing political climates across the world.

Shout Gladi Gladi

“A former nurse in Africa works to eliminate fistula, a condition caused by obstructed labor that carries both physical and social consequences.”

The discussion of female health issues is imperative in insuring justice for women across class lines around the world. This film highlights childbirth as a medical, social, and economic barrier to women – and how to overcome this barrier.

Codegirl

“This documentary follows a global competition that addresses technology workforce gender disparity by encouraging young women to enter the field.”

This important film provides a glimpse into the fight to include more women in modern tech – an important part of increasing female representation in media and an elusive part of the workforce.

Audrie and Daisy

“Two teenagers experience brutal attacks. But in the age of social media, their nightmares are only the beginning.”

“Audrie and Daisy” is an important look into how social media has shaped the experience of sexual assault survivors.

HBO

A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness

“In Pakistan, more than 1000 women perceived as having compromised the “honor” of their families are reported to be killed each year. Families are often pressured to forgive and absolve the aggressors, which allows them to return to the community.

Told through the lens of a love story, this Oscar-nominated documentary examines the tensions between modernism and tradition in Pakistan. Directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Oscar-winning Saving Face), the film follows Saba, a young Pakistani woman, who has survived her attempted honor killing by her own family.”

This film explores the misogynistic practice of honor killings and how women overcome intimate violence.

Abortion: Stories Women Tell

“In 1973 the U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade recognized the right of every woman in the United States to have an abortion. Since 2011, over half the states in the nation have significantly restricted access to abortions. In 2016, abortion remains one of the most divisive issues in America, especially in Missouri, where only one abortion clinic remains open, patients and their doctors must navigate a 72-hour waiting period, and each year sees more restrictions.

Awarding-winning director and Missouri native Tracy Droz Tragos sheds new light on the contentious issue with a focus not on the debate, but rather on the women themselves – those struggling with unplanned pregnancies, the providers who show up at clinics to give medical care, as well as the activists on both sides of the issue hoping to sway decisions and lives.”

Abortion is a cornerstone issue in the discussion of civil rights in the US. This film provides an in-depth look at the argument from both sides – telling the stories of real women.

Being a woman is a powerful thing, but watching women in action may be even more powerful. Treat yourself to a movie night and know you’re doing something important by being informed.