No Girls Allowed: How Misogyny Has Shaped Our Lives and Laws
Misogyny isn’t just a personal issue—it drives laws and policies that harm women, LGBTQ+ people, and society at large. Here’s how we confront it:
Misogyny Isn’t Just Personal—It’s Systemic
Misogyny manifests not only in personal interactions but also in systemic structures that shape policies, workplaces, and education. These cultural attitudes underpin laws restricting reproductive rights, workplace inequities, and healthcare disparities.
This systemic issue becomes even more harmful when intersecting with racism, classism, and homophobia, amplifying its impact on marginalized groups. Recognizing these intersections is crucial for understanding the full scope of misogyny’s harm.
To challenge systemic misogyny, individuals must take action in both personal and collective capacities. Contact representatives to advocate for equitable policies, support women-led initiatives, and educate yourself and others about the structural roots of misogyny. These efforts, combined with broader systemic reforms, can help dismantle the pervasive influence of misogyny in society.
The good news? Misogyny isn’t inevitable—it’s learned, and it can be unlearned. But it starts with accountability. Here’s how:
Address Toxic Behavior: Call it out, even when it’s uncomfortable.
Empower Women: Celebrate their achievements, amplify their voices, and share the mic.
Seek Perspectives: Read feminist works, shop from women-led businesses, and ask how you can support them.
Take Criticism Gracefully: Being called out is a chance to grow, not a personal attack.
Misogyny is baked into our laws, culture, and even subconscious habits. But we can all play a role in dismantling it—starting with ourselves.
The Rise of Misogynistic Laws
Misogyny isn’t just a personal failing—it’s a pillar of the systemic oppression that governs our society, deeply intertwined with white supremacy and patriarchy. These forces don’t exist in isolation; they reinforce each other to maintain control, shaping laws that marginalize women and people of all genders.
Indigenous Nations once treated reproductive care, including abortion, as personal and community responsibility, but colonization disrupted these practices by imposing patriarchal norms. Early colonists initially accepted abortion until around the fourth month of pregnancy (also known as “quickening”). However, the mid-19th century marked a pivotal shift as the American Medical Association (AMA) marginalized midwives, many of whom were women of color, to “professionalize” gynecological care. This effort criminalized abortion under the guise of advancing medical standards, consolidating power in the hands of white male physicians.
In parallel, the Comstock Laws of 1873 curtailed access to contraception and abortion-related materials, eroding reproductive autonomy further, especially for marginalized women. During the 20th century, reproductive control became a tool of racial oppression, with enslaved Black women punished for practicing birth control or seeking abortions, as their forced reproduction fueled the labor economy. By the 1970s, evangelical leaders re-framed abortion as a moral issue, weaponizing it as a political tool to defend “traditional values” while opposing civil rights.
Even now we are seeing these historical patterns of control and oppression continue to shape modern reproductive laws today. Texas is poised to bring a disturbing trend of anti-abortion lawsuits, not just from activists, but from “aggrieved” men. Abusive ex-partners are being recruited to sue abortion providers and anyone who helped some access abortion care.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is leading the charge, with a reported operation actively recruiting men via ads on social media to sue abortion providers and helpers under the guise of paternal rights. These lawsuits weaponize misogyny, giving abusive men a state-sanctioned way to punish people for daring to make choices about their bodies.
We’ve always said that this isn’t just about abortion; it’s about power and control. As legal experts have noted, these lawsuits don’t just violate privacy—they retraumatize victims, dragging their personal lives into public scrutiny. These lawsuits aren’t just an attack on individual rights—it reinforces societal power dynamics that prioritize patriarchal authority over personal autonomy.
By participating in misogyny, even casually, individuals contribute to this structure, perpetuating harm that extends far beyond interpersonal relationships to affect our laws and freedoms. To counter these lawsuits, we need to support legal aid organizations and amplify voices advocating for gender equity within our judicial systems.
This entrenched control over reproductive autonomy laid the groundwork for medical misogyny, where gendered and racial biases in healthcare continue to perpetuate harm, particularly in reproductive and gynecological practices.
Medical misogyny is a pervasive issue, with devastating consequences for women seeking healthcare. Countless stories highlight women denied life-saving treatments due to biases in medical education and institutional policy. These biases extend far beyond reproductive health, affecting areas like chronic pain treatment, maternal mortality, and even access to gender-affirming healthcare.
For example, women with life-threatening conditions often face delays in care due to policies shaped by ideological agendas rather than medical evidence. This systemic bias reflects deeper societal attitudes about gender and reinforces a dangerous status quo.
Addressing medical misogyny requires comprehensive reforms, including training programs to challenge implicit biases, legislative efforts to enforce equitable care standards, and increased support for organizations fighting for healthcare justice. Sharing stories, spreading awareness, and demanding systemic change are critical steps toward dismantling this crisis.
It is our collective responsibility to dismantle the systems that seek to strip us of our autonomy and challenge those in our lives who uphold these oppressive structures. Misogyny, intertwined with white supremacy, thrives on complacency—but it is not inevitable. It is learned behavior, deeply ingrained but entirely capable of being unlearned.
This fight isn’t about proving you’re “one of the good ones.” It’s about showing up, doing the work, and centering the voices of those harmed by patriarchy. Misogyny doesn’t just hurt women—it holds everyone back. So let’s move forward by confronting these injustices and fostering accountability. Together, we have the power to create a future grounded in equity and respect for all.
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