Back in post-war Italy‚ a power gap let Benito Mussolini take control with his fighting-leagues (which would later become the first fascists) The new regime started with pro-women ideas but quickly changed its mind
The early-1920s saw Mussolinis party promise women voting rights and equal pay; however things took a dark turn. After the war ended Italian society blamed women for taking mens jobs‚ and the fascists made a deal with the Catholic church to push old-fashioned family values
The regime created a weird mix of rules: they gave money to big families taxed single people‚ and banned birth-control (which shows how they wanted to control womens bodies) Italian women didnt get to vote until after WW2 ended
Fast forward to today and similar things are happening in the US. After Roe fell in mid-2022‚ many politicians started pushing against womens choices. Donald Trump and his running-mate J.D. Vance show concerning views about women in politics:
- Vance called women leaders “childless cat ladies“
- He said career women “choose misery“
- He thinks people without kids shouldnt make big decisions
Modern-day Russia copies these old ideas. Vladimir Putin wants Russian women to have 7-8 kids and skip education: its like reading from Mussolinis book. In Hungary‚ Viktor Orban does similar stuff - he made laws saying marriage is only between a man and woman
The world faces low birth-rates but forcing women to have kids isnt working; Japan tried that and its birth-rate dropped even more. Smart countries give parents good support like child-care and fair work rules - thats what really helps families grow
Looking at history shows us that when leaders try to control women its often a sign that democracy is getting weaker. The US voters should think about this when they vote: womens rights and democracy work together‚ and losing one means losing both