Taxes Are a Woman's Issue: Reframing the Debate

No doubt taxes are one of the most challenging topics to write about—of the two inevitabilities, at least death makes for interesting reading. So if for nothing else, authors Abramovitz and Morgen should be commended for their courage in tackling such a deadly subject from an important feminist perspective. With introductory chapters that examine how tax policies affect women and what makes female taxpayers different from male ones, the book moves into an explanation of taxes and the history of U.S. tax laws, then to an examination of how tax laws can hurt women, children and families. Final chapters provide a call to action with recommendations for reform and appendixes that annotate valuable online resources. This well-assembled book should be mandatory reading for tax policy makers who are open to reforming tax laws with women in mind. Unfortunately, while the authors clearly attempt to make this slim volume broadly accessible through anecdotes and chapter summaries, the text is still too dry and dense for general readers. (Apr.)