Remember the “good” old days? When women couldn’t get their own credit cards. When women weren’t allowed to enter military academies — or Yale or Harvard. Before the legal concept of sexual harassment existed.
This wasn’t as long ago as you might suppose. The federal law requiring credit card companies to issue women their own credit was passed in 1974. Women began entering US military academies in 1976. Yale admitted its first female students in 1969; Harvard didn’t do so until 1977. And finally, it wasn’t until 1986 that the Supreme Court ruled workplace sexual harassment was a violation of the Civil Rights Act.
These are examples of the past that, right now in 2025, the administration is pushing us back into. So happy Women’s History Month! Here’s a brief and incomplete list of the ways the current assault on diversity, equity and inclusion are also an assault on women:
• Endangering women’s health
Eliminating gender differences puts research on woman-only conditions like pregnancy and menopause on hold. Ignoring gender difference in clinical trials puts us at risk of adverse drug side effects. And new abortion restrictions are connected with a dramatic rise in maternal death rates.
• Making it harder for married women to vote
In a crazy Orwellian twist, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (already passed once in the House but stalled in the Senate) would do the opposite of safeguarding the votes of married women. Why? Because if a woman changes her legal name when she marries, her birth certificate no longer matches her name. Under the SAVE Act this would require her to show additional proof of citizenship — something like a passport, which naturally we all carry around on the regular.
• Reinstating Trump 1.0 Title IX rules
The bros have their noses into everything. Title IX is the federal law that prohibits gender-based discrimination, including sexual harassment, in publicly funded schools. During the first Trump administration Title IX rules were relaxed, making it harder for women to get protection from on-campus harassment and assault. In 2022 President Biden briefly introduced new rules that expanded protection for women, LGBTQ+ and pregnant students. Now we’re back to the old rules that make it easier for schools to avoid taking action and offer cover for offenders.
A final note:
If this is all too depressing, take an inspiration break. Celebrate Women’s History Month by seeing real women make real history. Watch the documentary “The Janes” and rejoice in the power of women. We’re not done yet.