As the second decade of the twenty-first century has worn on, politicians of all stripes, aware of the political power of the unmarried woman yet seemingly incapable of understanding female life outside of a marital context, have come to rely on a metaphor in which American women, no longer bound to men, are binding themselves to government. Rebecca Traister
About This Quote

The metaphor of the binding woman is a way for politicians to talk about women without confronting them. It allows them to avoid explaining why marriage matters, or what marriage actually involves. It lets them avoid the hard issues. It's a very convenient form of rhetoric that apparently works so well it's become an article of faith among politicians.

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