The Hidden Threat to Women's Rights Nobody Talks About

Jan de Vries · 2026-09-09

Elle Lorenzoni has a message that might make you uncomfortable. And honestly? That's exactly the point. She argues that women cannot afford to take feminism's gains for granted — because those hard-won freedoms can be weakened, reversed, or lost entirely without continued political action. That's not fearmongering. That's history repeating itself when we stop paying attention. ### Why Progress Isn't Permanent Here's the thing about rights: they feel permanent once you have them. You wake up, go to work, vote, own property, make decisions about your own body and future. It all seems normal. Solid. Guaranteed. But it's not. Every single one of those rights was fought for by someone who came before you. And every single one of them can be chipped away if we're not vigilant. Lorenzoni's point isn't about doom and gloom. It's about awareness. When you assume the fight is over, you stop fighting. And that's when things start slipping. ### The Quiet Erosion Nobody Notices Reversals rarely happen overnight. They happen in small increments — a law tweaked here, a protection removed there, a court decision that narrows something just a little. Each step seems manageable on its own. Together, they add up. Think of it like a leaky roof. One drop of water isn't a crisis. But ignore it for months, and suddenly you've got serious damage. The same goes for rights. Ignore the small stuff, and the big stuff becomes possible. As Lorenzoni puts it, feminist freedoms are not a gift — they're a responsibility. And responsibilities require action. ### What Continued Political Action Actually Looks Like This doesn't mean everyone needs to run for office. It means staying engaged in ways that fit your life: - Vote in every election, not just the big ones. Local races matter more than you think. - Pay attention to legislation that affects women's rights — and speak up when it's threatened. - Support organizations that fight for equality, whether through donations or your time. - Have conversations. Talk to your friends, your family, your coworkers. Silence helps nobody. - Hold leaders accountable. Ask questions. Demand answers. None of this is glamorous. It's not supposed to be. It's just necessary. ### The Bottom Line Lorenzoni isn't asking women to live in fear. She's asking them to stay awake. To remember that the rights we enjoy today were built by people who refused to accept things as they were. If we forget that, we risk losing everything they fought for. And that's a price none of us can afford to pay. The question isn't whether feminism's gains are worth protecting. It's whether we're willing to do the work to keep them. What's your answer?