Life

Links for Later: The Women’s Marches, Assessed

The DC Women’s March. Image by Getty Images

By Phoebe Maltz Bovy January 25, 2017

Donald Trump became President of the United States. On Friday, as I recall. On Monday, he signed a ban on federal funding for foreign health care services that mention the possibility of abortion. On Saturday, a whole lot of women marched to protest against Trump’s presidency and for women’s rights. Analysis of the marches ensued:

-Katha Pollitt wasn’t so sure about the pink pussy hats, but came around. (Same.)

–Damon Linker and David Brooks offer skepticism, from the right if not from The Right.

-And, from the left, Jess Zimmerman unpacks what it means that white women in pink hats were not arrested for marching. (A topic I also addressed, coming to a somewhat but not entirely different conclusion.)

-The New York Times published, was criticized for, and apologized for a story about men in Montclair, NJ, devoting Saturday to childcare and housework while their wives marched. Was it a terrible article, as per the unanimous consensus? Or was it actually an unintentionally great article, for demonstrating how retrograde gender roles exist even in progressive enclaves?

-And one non-March item: Miranda Cooper discusses Edith Wharton’s anti-Semitism.

Phoebe Maltz Bovy edits the Sisterhood, and can be reached at [email protected]. Her book, The Perils of “Privilege”, will be published by St. Martin’s Press in March 2017.

Phoebe Maltz Bovy is a former editor of the Sisterhood blog at the Forward. Her writing has appeared in several publications, including The New Republic and The Atlantic. Her book, “The Perils of ‘Privilege,’” was published by St. Martin’s Press in March 2017. She has a PhD in French and French Studies from New York University, and has read a lot of 19th century French Jewish newspapers for a 21st century American.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO