When Jessie Schook shares the joyful news that she’s pregnant with her first child, she says the response is often the same — especially among other female working professionals. “The excitement is immediately followed by: ‘Are you on a list?’” Schook says. What they’re asking is if she’s signed up for childcare — months before her baby is due to arrive in June. It reflects the deep anxiety...

Less than a year after Tennessee Republicans attempted to expel her from the state House, Democrat Gloria Johnson is seeking another term there while simultaneously waging an uphill campaign for U.S. Senate. Republicans are trying to force her to choose one. Voters might do a double take seeing a name twice on a ballot. But Tennessee and other states allow certain dual runs, and there have been prominent...