The Truth About Women, Work, & the Pandemic

Plus: call for entries, classical liberal women in history, liberty gigs, & more

Apr 12

Has the COVID-19 pandemic seriously set back women in the workplace?

That's the narrative from politicians and a lot of scary sounding stories in the media. “In one year, the pandemic has put decades of the progress we have collectively made for women workers at risk," VP Kamala Harris said in February.

But the truth is more complicated—and nowhere near as dire as many have made it seem.

In the latest episode of our new video series, Feminists for Liberty founders #KatAndLiz talk about women, work, and the pandemic. How have workforce participation and unemployment numbers for men and women compared? Have school and business shutdowns been changing gender roles at home? Could shifts to telework be beneficial for working parents—especially working moms—in the long run? And if there's really a baby bust going on, why does it seem like every fifth woman we know is now pregnant?

P.S. Check out our previous episodes of our new Kat & Liz Talk About… series (with transcripts) here:

• Feminists for Liberty Explained
• Libertarian Feminism 101
• Are Sex & Gender the Same Thing?
• How Capitalism & Economic Liberty Have Benefitted Women

Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay up to date on future panels and videos. (And, as always, you can find us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, & Society6, too.)

Talk to us about libertarian feminism.

You've still got a few weeks left to submit to our short video contest, with a chance to win some awesome prizes, have your video seen by a great panel of industry professionals, and have your video screened at this summer's FreedomFest. We're looking for short (2 to 7 minutes) videos of all sorts that address libertarian feminist themes. Go here for more information on what we're looking for, what you can win, and how to enter.

Feminists for Liberty @FeministLiberty

One thing we really want to emphasize is you don’t need great technical skills to enter. Bonus points if you do!, but a video that’s just you talking to the camera is great too. We’re interested in compelling ideas & stories here as much if not more than what it looks like https://t.co/bVtfD8ZJh9

Elizabeth Nolan Brown @ENBrown

Have a feminist story to tell? Thoughts on libertarianism in the 2020s? An awesome freedom-minded person to profile, project to highlight, or policy to advocate? We want you! https://t.co/prkNf7hBK1 https://t.co/TlUBOoMxYe

Women's history through a libertarian feminist lens.

If you missed our March #F4LChats panel celebrating women's history month, never fear: you can now check out the whole thing on YouTube. Panelists Kaytlin Bailey, Jayme Lemke, and Paul Meany talk about early female philosophers, coverture laws & sexual purity, how lineage fears played a big role in restrictions on women's liberty, how urbanization and industrialization contributed to U.S. women's advancement, Rose Wilder Lane, Isabel Paterson, and more.

Feminists for Liberty is a nonprofit group entirely sustained by individual donations. If you like the work that we’re doing, please consider setting up a one-time or recurring donation. Thank you!!!

Donate to Feminists for Liberty

Liberty gigs & opportunities

Natalie Dowzicky @Nat_Dowzicky

Are you a young writer looking to improve your skills? Reach out to me about writing for @AFempowers !

Liz Wolfe @lizzywol

Know of any aspiring (entry-level) reporters who want to come work for @reason? Send 'em our way! It's a great gig, I cannot lie:

Reporter/Writer (Entry-Level)Are you a journalist just starting out who loves free minds and free markets? Reason wants to hire you. The idealreason.com

What we've been reading, watching, & listening to lately

Emilie Dye @Emilie_Dye

Feminists aren't all socialists. In fact, no ideology is as compatible with feminism as libertarianism. Big gov't too often subjugates women. Freedom allows all individuals, regardless of gender, to live their lives as they choose. Great work @KatMurti!

If You’re a Libertarian, You’re a Feminist - America’s FutureOver the past several years, many libertarians have become outspoken opponents of feminism. “Feminism is cancer,” they intone, echoing the rallying cry ofamericasfuture.org

•Will feminism please stop calling the cops? "Certain categories of criminalized acts—those perceived as primarily harming women and girls—have been nearly immune from the spirit of criminal justice reform.”

• A 2010-2012 study on intimate partner violence "found that male respondents experienced reproductive coercion slightly more often than women at a 9.7 percent rate compared with 8.4 percent of women.” It also found that "“Contrary to prevailing notions of pregnant teens lacking contraceptive knowledge or being careless, researchers asking different questions found that men were flushing birth control pills down the toilet or forcing partners to get abortions.”

Libertarianism.org @libertarianism

#WomensHistoryMonth Zora Neale Hurston was one of the foremost figures of the Harlem Renaissance, but unlike her fellow intellectuals, she loathed any form of socialism or collectivism, preferring the greater gift of individualism instead.

• California is going through a childcare crisis thanks to overregulation.

• Utah will start allowing jail inmates access to contraception.

• “Our aim with LILA Uruguay is to revindicate the original libertarian foundations of feminism. Sabrina and I found that there were many feminist groups speaking of capitalism and economic freedom as enemies of women, leaving many women feeling isolated and outcasted if they held different views. We provide women with an alternative to traditional feminist groups, one centered around the ideas of liberty.” — María José Fernandez, April LOLA of the Month

• Violent crime and property crime in Baltimore plummeted after the city stopped prosecuting people for prostitution, drug possession, and a range of other non-violent misdemeanor offenses.

Galway Curiousblue @iamcuriousblue

@ayagruber @ENBrown Worth reupping the Unregistered interview with Aya Gruber. It's good to see somebody taking issue with carceral feminism again, especially its inherent conflict with criminal justice reform.

Unregistered 117: Aya Gruber (VIDEO)As cities were burning from rage against police brutality and mass incarceration, the author of The Feminist War on Crime explained to me that one of the pri...youtube.com

• How would abortion access be affected if Roe v. Wade were overturned?

• Will at-home abortions make Roe v. Wade obsolete?

• “El Salvador is committing "gender violence" by criminalizing women with obstetric emergencies, human rights groups argued before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.” (NBC News)

Prison_Health @Prison_Health

How Black Women Brought Liberty to Washington in the 1800s. A new book shows us the capital region’s earliest years through the eyes and the experiences of leaders like Harriet Tubman and Elizabeth Keckley ow.ly/kYo630rzvZl MT @SmithsonianMag

How Black Women Brought Liberty to Washington in the 1800sA new book shows us the capital region’s earliest years through the eyes and the experiences of leaders like Harriet Tubman and Elizabeth Keckleyow.ly

• Sex trafficking panic and victim blaming follow the Atlanta massage parlor murders.

• “The SAFE TECH Act would fail to address harms and risk silencing marginalized communities," writes Cathy Reisenwitz.

• “President Joe Biden has promised to build upon Obama-era policies by allowing every transgender, intersex or nonbinary person the option to change their passport gender to X, rather than M or F, but it hasn't happened yet,” notes CNN.

Feminists for Liberty @FeministLiberty

This is great and hope to more states see bills like it Wisconsin assembly considers authorizing "microschools" >>

Assembly committee considers bill to allow ‘microschools’Some homeschooling advocates expressed concerns the law could negatively affect the perception of homeschooling if microschools are unsuccessful, though the proposal would keep microschools separate from homeschools in state statute.madison.com

• The city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, will become the second municipality in the country to legalize domestic partnerships between three or more people.

• Gabrielle Monroe, Bella Robinson and Kathryn Arielle: “A Conversation About Decriminalizing Sex Work” with Rod Graham. Watch a recording of the panel here.

• The Oldest Profession podcast talks to writer, teacher, and media-maker Tina Horn, creator of the sci-fi sex-rebel comic book series SfSx (Safe Sex).

• Lead with gratitude (Avens O’Brien has a new Substack newsletter!)