by Talia Lavin
This year, as the American election rolled out its endless spin cycles of bluster and recrimination, the political scene repeatedly brought news of a “war on women” being waged in Washington. To the dismay of voters on both sides of the aisle, politicians and pundits displayed remarkable levels of vitriol towards women — from Todd Akin’s now-infamous comments about “legitimate rape” to the recent wave of anti-choice laws under consideration in legislatures across America. What are engaged women to make of this development? Does it signal a country-wide reversion to pre-feminist values, a permanent regression in the fortunes of women and their place in society?