Supporters of the draconian abortion bans passed by Red states like Indiana like to pooh-pooh allegations that those bans are part of a “war on women.” But a woman’s ability to control her own reproduction is absolutely essential to her ability to participate equally in economic and civic life, and depriving her of that control is a major goal of those who want to take America back to patriarchy, to a time when women were subservient.
MAGA’s war against women doesn’t stop with abortion bans and restrictions on birth control. The Guardian recently reported on Republican proposals to cut a variety of federal subsidies that disproportionately help women.
As they prepare to take control of the White House and Congress next month, conservatives are eyeing cutbacks to federal programs that help tens of millions of women pay for healthcare, food, housing and transportation.
The ferocity of the backlash to women’s growing equality raises obvious questions: why is it that the United States, with our vaunted celebration of individual rights and civic equality, has never had a female President, as other countries have? Why are women still under-represented in our legislative bodies, compared to numerous other countries?
Recently, Yascha Mounk posed those questions to Alice Evans, a scholar who focuses on them. Evans has a book coming out titled “The Great Gender Divergence,” and her observations are instructive.
Evans noted that there are wide differences in labor force and leadership participation across the globe.
Across Scandinavia there is a very strong share of female representation. In Latin America there are 11 legislative assemblies which actually mandate gender parity, and you’ve just seen two women fight it out for the presidency in Mexico.
When Mounk asked Evans to speculate about why these differences exist, her explanation began with a history of women’s emancipation that was very similar to the one Morton Marcus and I offered in our book From Property to Partnership.
As she noted, in 1900, much of the world was very patriarchal.
Our Enlightenment, our scholars, our scientists, our parliaments, and our judiciary were incredibly patriarchal, a total sausage fest. But then there is a big disruption, and I do think economics and politics are important here. So over the 20th century, skill bias and technological change are ramping up demand for skilled labor. That happens across the world. These factories open up and women seize the economic opportunities they create. It’s also mediated by technology: When women have contraceptives they can control their fertility, further their education and then build careers.
So what accounts for the striking differences in female political and economic participation across the globe? Culture. Especially the persistence of patriarchal cultures, where male status depends upon “protecting” women and keeping them submissive, and where a “husbands’ status is contingent upon them being the breadwinner and women remaining at home.”
The interview is wide-ranging, and focuses largely on the situations of women in countries where male resistance to female empowerment is far more powerful and effective than in the U.S. But Evans’ observations about culture–especially patriarchal culture–have obvious pertinence to America, where our citizenry includes a wide variety of subcultures, many of which are patriarchal to a greater or lesser degree.
There has been a lot of hand-wringing over the fact that Trump pulled more than the expected vote percentage with some traditionally Democratic-voting constituencies. Pundits have offered various theories, almost all based upon policy differences, ignoring the likely effect of the “macho” elements of some of these cultures, and the corresponding belief that women are unfit for the Presidency. Then there is the influence of fundamentalist religions, virtually all of which circumscribe the role of women. The recent resurgence of White Christian Nationalism is at least partially a backlash against the growing role of women and gays in American society.
Project 2025 proposes an agenda that is thoroughly paternalistic and patriarchal, and anyone who thinks the Trump administration won’t try to impose its provisions on American society is, as they say, “smoking something.” (The extent to which his chosen clowns, conspiracy theorists and buffoons will succeed is a different question.)
James Davidson Hunter coined the term Culture Wars back in 1992. It was an apt phrase then, and it is even more appropriate now. The divisions between modernists and “traditionalists,” between urban and rural Americans, between resentful Whites and people of color are all essentially cultural.
Today’s “cold civil war” isn’t between Republicans and Democrats. (Face it, there aren’t any real Republicans anymore.) It’s a culture war between a MAGA movement that wants to reinstate a racist, homophobic, patriarchal society and those of us who want to live in an inclusive 21st Century.
“As they prepare to take control of the White House and Congress next month, conservatives are eyeing cutbacks to federal programs that help tens of millions of women pay for healthcare, food, housing and transportation.”
The Guardian has always appeared to be more aware of circumstances in this country than most of our citizens are; this time they missed it. The “conservatives”, masterminded by Donald Trump, are already in control of our government and thus, our nation.
An MSNBC banner this morning reported, “Trump opposes spending bill, pushing government closer to shutdown.” YES, I CONTINUE WATCHING MSNBC AND CNN FOR POLITICAL NEWS.
I do not have a full, or even partial understanding, of the Supreme Court’s Immunity decision; does it only cover Trump or Trump and all future presidents and if they have passed it, why does it not currently cover President Joe Biden? Another news item that it is rumored President Biden is “considering” a preemptive pardon for Trump’s list of enemies he intends to jail once they are emptied of his allies who carried out his January 6th Insurrection.
I have gone from being embarrassed by this government to being ashamed and am now DISGUSTED. It is far more than women’s rights to decide their health care at issue and the political aspect ended when Trump’s fascism was activated in the House and Senate. This nation of Americans who support democracy, Rule of Law and the Constitution of the United States of America as it now stands is history; which will probably be removed from history books in whatever form of education Trump decides.
All is already active and in control in GOPville this morning.
Very NICE Writing- Patriarchy rests on the complicity of its “victims “ who are for example women raising Boy Children as well as Boys and Men. buying into being one step of girls and Women. Those opposing the Patriarchy most strongly are those seemingly “on the bottom” – Black Queer Women and Gender non-binary People. 80% of us generally “go along” – leaving 20% – Many of us Organize sometimes effectively- . We face challenging Times- you are getting Old(er) + live in Indiana as well as having Education, Experience and Connections including this audience- They- have a Decades Long “plan”- much more effective than The Dems- the Answer is an expanding Plural set of words- community building locally often, resilience- following The Leadership, Love, not Hatred……
It occurs to me that words are always important, and talking about equality may not be the most effective way forward. What if we argued the importance of women’s ability to fully participate in economic, political, civil, social and personal/family life? Everyone wants men to be able to participate fully, and it’s an easier argument to agree that any identifiable group should participate fully. Saying fully rather than equally can yield the same results without rubbing on sore and sensitive spots that equality movements seems to flare up. I’m thinking about this change of diction. Your thoughts?
Whoops – one step ahead of women and girls and following the leadership of our young
I don’t think most men in the US can even use the word “cultural” in a sentence. That is still the most pressing problem in the US, and we cannot change it. Fox News appeals to it by painting makeup on blonde women who tell men exactly what they want to hear and are pro-patriarchy. Preachers tell them the same things on Sunday – a woman’s place is to support the man, and abortion is murder—end of story.
One of the first comments about Kamala is how she slept her way up the political chain in California. She was shown in provocative clothes, which sealed the deal on her for most men. She said she was no different than Biden – HUGE MISTAKE.
Americans aren’t as complicated as we make them out to be. Especially men:
“If abstinence is the only method to avoid pregnancy, why do women need birth control? If they do have sex, I assume they want a baby with that man. If the man doesn’t want a baby with that woman, he should wear a condom. If she gets pregnant, she can’t kill the baby because she made a poor choice. That’s murder! Anybody who supports the woman wanting an abortion is also a murderer!”
If the above quotes fall under the term, culture, then I stand corrected. I like to consider it an uneducated view of the world. They would no more pick up Sheila and Morton’s book and read it than watching a Chicago Bears football game. 😉
The only war we need to see is the ordinary working-class people against the oppressive oligarchy. “The only minority ruining this country are the billionaires.” Watch very closely how the entertainment/oligarchy-owned media handles the folk hero to the masses, Luigi Mangione. The NYPD Commissioner said it was shameful for those on social media to celebrate a murder even though the guy murdered ordered the deaths of millions. The oligarchy wants the people to believe that 1 oligarch is worth more than a million commoners. Think about it!
Connie – “Write On” – equality of opportunity, not equality.
Here’s an interesting AOL news item this morning; “Tech billionaire Elon Musk is already flexing his newfound political muscle even before his ally President-elect Donald Trump has taken the oath of office.
Musk helped lead a revolt Wednesday to try to stop a bipartisan funding bill in a direct challenge to the authority of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and others in Republican leadership who helped craft the measure. And in a remarkable turn, the revolt appeared to succeed at least for a day, throwing budget negotiations into chaos and increasing the odds of a government shutdown this weekend.”
I believe the MAGAs have decided to throw Matt Gaetz under the proverbial bus by releasing his ethics (actually lack of) report as a distraction from Musk’s behind the curtain control, probably the only person who can control Trump because he has more money and can sell Trump out just as Trump tossed out Giuliani.
We are witnessing a global Patriarchal movement; America has been a global leader and Trump appears to be a one-man-for-all-men type leader to be followed. Can we trump Trump’s ass…er, ace…while he and Musk are in the White House with all of that lovely money at their disposal. Musk alone could settle the debts of the U.S. government and buy it outright for Trump…unless his actions are to put him in control. His use of money and women; how many women and how many children has he fathered to fit the role of a Patriarch?
Steve Bannon is popping up in the news and where is Roger Stone; will they become appointees after Trump’s inauguration? Any doubts they are busy in the background of the active transition which is going on in front of the country.
“As they prepare to take control of the White House and Congress next month,” both genders are at significant risk.
Sorry, ladies, but both are greater in number than one.
Chaos, confusion, and braggadocio will reign as prima donnas (what’s male gender “donnas in Latin?) move between Mar-a-Lago and Bedminster to DC.
Most Americans’ challenge is to take back the voters, not the country’s minds. Voters brought on terror, and only they could undo their mistake.
Not all of them, but the ones at the margins, especially in red states with many electoral votes.
We have to do what Trump did between 2020 and 2024: he did nothing but campaign for President—pure media-centric politics.
There are other choices than Kamala to present our story to the voting public, but she did a remarkable thing for us in 107 days this year. She went from obscure to prominent, prompting Trump to sell the country to Elon Musk for a small fraction of its worth.
This last election was a war on women in an attempt to control our lives and aspirations. Very sad.
Connie i agree with you. Im always preaching choosing the right words. It makes ALL the difference.
No, Todd, they would rather watch the game and burn the book!
Here’s a use for “culture”: Religion is a culturally supported myth, and our myth developed from older patriarchal cultures, with the assistance of the “Puritan ethic.” If you can keep Sally barefoot, pregnant and lactating, Joey can go out and party whenever he wants.
We continue to assume that there will be more elections. Remember when the orange sewer said that if he’s elected, this may be the last election? If he/it survives the first 4 years, does anyone really think his pathological, diseased (redundancy intended) brain will allow him to walk away? Not a chance.
What scares me is the promised destruction of democracy by the 25% of idiots who are MAGA morons put in powerful positions … creatures like Stephen Miller and Cash Patel. THESE are the Nazis of our day, and THEY will take a wrecking ball to our democracy.
Can an outright revolution be far off? Americans will have to get much hungrier and more economically stressed before that will happen. What are the other choices?
Todd, I have long hoped the insurance companies would go down in flames. I’ve been in positions that required me to go to battle on behalf of people I worked with. Joann has frequently written about the change from mutuals to corporations and the impact that had on health care. She is right. The bottom line is much more important than the health of the patient.
That said, we should never suggest that an act of violence just helped balance the books. One of my Senators was the CEO of a health care company that scammed Medicare in the biggest fraud case in history. Instead of prison, Mr. Scott went to the governor’s office in Florida, then on to the US Senate. It was a miscarriage of justice, but nobody ever shot him.
Both my mother and my father told me life isn’t fair. I believed them.
Elections matter. We are going to find out how much they matter very soon.
For those who voted for t*ump/MAGA, and those who just could not be bothered to vote, we all are going to get a belly full of results. I wonder how much it will take before people wake up?
James, your comment assumes that there will be further elections.
I agree with this statement by Todd – “The only war we need to see is the ordinary working-class people against the oppressive oligarchy.”
Since the billionaires managed to elect tfg on 11/5 my hope is that the foolish maga voters finally wake up and realize he had no intention of keeping his promises to stop the corporate price gouging/inflation and the oligarchs in his Cabinet start chopping away at maga’s favorite “entitlements”. The maga crowd might become angry enough to violently take down tfg and his oligarchs the same way they stormed the Capitol on 1/6/21.
Tfg, President Musk and all the other oligarchs cannot be stopped via negotiations or other non-violent means. The only way to stop them from completely destroying what we have left of our partial democracy is by causing them to fear for their lives and the lives of their family members.
If the magats manage to see through the lies they’ve been fed for years by right wing media we may actually witness a revolutionary war against the oligarchs. The magats have accumulated enough weapons to start one.
Vernon, your thinking is the scariest of all.
I do believe that if he makes it past the midterms as unbelievable as it is.
Dictator is the word.
Do we need to become better at propaganda? IN ORDER TO CHANGE directions?
by mid-terms?
Connie;
I like your suggestion of using a less frightening word to promote women’s participation in society. “Fully” is a pretty inclusive choice. As the father of two girls and grandfather of several more, I feel invested in this struggle on your side.
Vernon, et. al.
There will be another election. The question is whether it will be in two years by the traditional ballots; or in four years with bullets! Join me in praying for two!
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party needs to find their cojones and make sure that everybody knows that any shutdown of the government is the doing of the Republican Party, and only the Republican Party. They must also stand upright and true by NOT passing an increase in the debt ceiling prior to Jan. 20. Trump wants it in the Continuing Resolution so that he can claim that Democrat Biden signed it instead of himself. It is called Political Deniability; if it has Biden’s signature (fact) and not his. DO NOT GIVE HIM THIS GIFT / GRIFT!!!!!
The oppressive authoritarian, patriarchal, white male supremist attitude of the incoming trump presidency is out of touch with present day reality of most Americans and culture. It gives permission to Magas to dominate especially women. They seem to enhance their own identity and power by belittling women and keeping them in their presumed place. Authoritarian patriarchy is a toxic dynamic that doesn’t work for the good of all including men. Women need equal rights and the freedom to use their strengths and talents to build their own lives and add a lot more to U.S. culture.
Stop calling them conservatives. They are self-serving sexist racist fascists.