"Women's rights are the first to go"
On this election eve, please remember how critical your vote ... every vote ... is
I woke up with the title of this post in my mind and then wondered if it were true. There a lot of human rights lost when dictators come to power; however, it seems like the easiest target is women.
Here’s part of my conversation with Perplexity.
Based on the search results and broader historical context, there is evidence to suggest that restrictions on women's rights are often an early indicator of authoritarian trends and a move towards totalitarianism. Here are some key points:
Pattern of regression: As countries slide towards authoritarianism, women's rights are frequently among the first freedoms to be curtailed. This has been observed in various countries including Russia, Turkey, Poland, and Afghanistan.
Women under Hitler
I asked about the role of women under Hitler and Perplexity made me gasp at the similarities to Project 2025, Agenda 47, and the speeches of JD Vance, Mike Johnson, Jesse Watters and other Republicans.
Removal from workforce: In 1933, married women were dismissed from civil and public service jobs. The Nazis discouraged women from working outside the home, though this changed later due to labor shortages.
Reproductive policies:
Birth control clinics and contraceptive sales were outlawed.
Abortion was banned.
Women were encouraged to have many children, with awards given for large families.
Education: The education system was reformed to de-intellectualize women's education, focusing on domestic skills and Nazi ideology.
Political participation: Women's political organizations were dismantled or brought under Nazi control. The National Socialist Women's Union (NSF) became the main women's organization.
Legal changes: New divorce laws made it easier for men to leave older wives for younger women, emphasizing women's value in reproduction.
Racial policies: "Aryan" women were encouraged to reproduce, while "non-Aryan" women faced sterilization and persecution.
Propaganda: The regime heavily promoted the ideal of the German mother through various means, including the creation of Mother's Day as a national holiday.
Strategic motivation: Autocrats and authoritarian-leaning leaders may see politically active women as a threat, as women's participation in mass movements is associated with higher success rates and more egalitarian outcomes.
We are down to the wire: tomorrow’s election will determine the direction our country takes. In 50 years in Afghanistan, women lost almost all their rights … including even the right to hear each other’s voices.
You may think that it can’t happen here. But, it is already happening. Please vote.
It always gives me the creeps when I hear orange man say he loves women, in my head I can him finishing the statement with "when they know their place"
Wow! This is chilling. And so true! Thank you for writing this and doing the research. We can't go back. I remember how hard we fought for reproductive rights in my younger years, and to have lost it for our daughters because of three Supreme Court justices who Trump appointed, when every one of them during their confirmation process said Roe was settled law and they would not overturn it! In a flash it was gone! And women have died. We have to turn this around by voting Kamala into office and Democrats into a majority in the House and Senate.