Last month, Germany held its most recent parliamentary elections, which saw huge swaths of youths voting for the far-right Alternative for Germany party and for the far-left Die Linke, according to a report by NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Despite their voting base being mostly young men and much of their recruitment rhetoric being about traditional notions of masculinity, the AfD has historically, even since its founding, included women politicians in ways not seen in the United States. The Social Democratic Party, as one might expect from a progressive party, has a similarly inclusive view of women. Yet here in the United States, our inclusion of women in positions of power has increasingly come under partisan scrutiny.
In these times, when governments in chaos seem the norm, political figures switch long-held positions to bow to authoritarians and the mere mention of the complexity of history and the importance of differing perspectives can have employees fired, we must take initiative and depoliticize those things which really matter, like women’s rights. By ‘depoliticize,’ I mean to make those things above political reproach — to mainstream them as something that cannot be disagreed with.
While groups like the AfD can and should be criticized for their politics, there is something to be said for the role women have played in their party. Women are party leaders, influencers and advocates for the AfD, even if there are fewer of them than in other parties. While I may disdain their ideas, they somehow have included women better than even the United States’ own Democratic Party. Women get left out of politics and business in the U.S. in large part because we are still arguing about their right to even be in the room.
Perhaps this is because many countries in Europe have learned that women’s views affect the world regardless of their politics. To leave them behind makes politics into a macho slapfight. As of its 2024 election, the U.K. has had two women prime ministers and its House of Commons is 41% women. Germany has 35.7% women in its parliment, more than the U.S. and with more total members. These numbers make it clear just how behind the U.S. is. Women’s rights have been a point of contention in the U.S. for far too long. Ever since its founding, the U.S. has been behind on including the half of its population born female and the more than half identifying as something other than men.
President Donald Trump’s string of policies and proclamations against diversity, equity and inclusion programs has left many women in the US thrown to the side. For example, the education page of the website for the Arlington National Cemetery recently removed the biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, previously listed under the link for “Women’s history.” According to another story by NPR, the cemetery removed her bio to comply with President Trump’s agenda.
Despite President Trump’s efforts to push women out of the public consciousness, there seems to be hope that women’s involvement in places of power will only grow. According to the Pew Research Center, women made up a record 28% of the 118th Congress of 2023. Even during the Republican sweep of the 2024 elections, that number remained constant, showing that U.S. citizens do seemingly believe in the abilities and rights of women. Even so, these numbers are low compared to many countries in Europe.
The fact that President Trump and those like him are trying to make women’s rights a battleground — and that they have succeeded thus far — makes it clear how far back they want to move. They don’t want efficiency. They don’t want fairness. They want erasure. Let’s make sure to remember women from all sides. Feminism doesn’t have to be political. Supporting the women in our lives isn’t political. It’s just practical.
We can make women’s rights as fundamental as food safety. There was a time when manufacturers produced food in horrifying conditions. There was a time when regulations on food safety did not exist. But now, these things seem unthinkable. Women’s rights to equal wages, to respect and protections under the law and to maternity leave and reproductive care can take the same course if we let it. We can bring about a day when women’s rights aren’t a battle — they’re just common sense.
