Ep. 4 - The Cost of Being a Woman: From Colonial Tariffs to the Pink Tax

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In this episode, Chelsey and Jenn dig into the hidden (and not-so-hidden) economic policies that disproportionately hurt women—especially moms. From the resurgence of the pink tax to Trump’s executive orders that would classify women as “secondary wage earners,” we break down how systemic sexism is built into the financial policies being pushed by Project 2025. We expose the legislative playbook aiming to gut women’s healthcare, raise their taxes, and sabotage their independence—while claiming to fight for “traditional families.”

We connect the dots between tariffs that raise prices on everyday goods, childcare cuts, and the gender wage gap, and we ask the big question: who benefits when women are pushed back into the home?

Spoiler alert: it’s not working families.

1. Trump’s 2025 Executive Order to Redefine Women’s Financial Status

• Newsweek Report: Executive order would reclassify many married women as “secondary wage earners,” limiting access to tax benefits and ACA subsidies.

2. Project 2025’s Anti-Woman Agenda

• Heritage Foundation’s blueprint calls for gutting the Department of Education, revoking workplace gender protections, and rolling back the ACA.

3. Tariffs as a Gendered Burden

• Trump-era tariffs disproportionately raised prices on household goods and childcare essentials.
• Current GOP plans to expand tariffs would impact everyday purchases: diapers, hygiene products, school supplies, and food.

4. The Pink Tax

• Women still pay more for basic goods—shampoo, razors, even insurance.
• GOP tax plans ignore these gender-based price hikes and reduce benefits for working-class families.

5. Attacks on Women’s Healthcare Access

• ACA birth control protections under fire
• Maternal health funding slashed in House GOP budget proposals
• Trump policies and Project 2025 seek to privatize Medicaid, directly impacting pregnancy, postpartum, and preventative care

6. Red, White, and Fascist Framing

• Historical parallels to fascist regimes pushing women out of the workforce post-crisis (WWI, WWII, and now post-COVID)
• State control of women’s labor and fertility through financial pressure

Call to Action

• Write your reps: Demand they reject any attempt to reclassify women as “secondary earners” or gut ACA family provisions.
• Share your stories: If you’ve lost access to care, paid more because of the pink tax, or been priced out of work—email us or send a voice memo.
• Follow @MomsAgainstTheMachine for more resources, shareables, and breakdowns.

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