CHESTERTOWN, MD—Democrats, feminists and other groups have used the phrase “The War on Women” to criticize Republican policies regarding issues such as access to birth control and abortion and equal pay in the workplace.  It is a narrative that has defined much of the American political landscape in recent years. Is there any truth to it? Is it an effective campaign strategy? How are Republicans pushing back on the charge? And, on a broader level, why are women still so under-represented in the leadership ranks of politics and the professional world. 

Washington College professors from various departments will gather in Hynson Lounge, Hodson Hall, on Wednesday, October 22, at 5:00 p.m. for a roundtable discussion of the “War on Women” narrative. The event is free and open to the public. 

Professor of political science Melissa Deckman will moderate the discussion, which will also include drama professor Michele Volansky, sociology professor Erin Anderson, and Spanish professor Cristina Casado Presa, director of Gender Studies at the College.   

Deckman is the author of numerous studies on the topic of women and politics. She co-wrote a recent report titled  “Did the ‘War on Women’ Work? Women, Men, and the Birth Control Mandate in the 2012 Presidential Election,” which was published in the professional journal American Politics Research and summarized in a London School of Economics blog. 

The October 22 discussion is sponsored by the Goldstein Program in Public Affairs and is part of its series, “Women in Public Affairs.” 

– Brian Klose ’17