Tara Siegel Bernard, Is the U.S. Tax Code Anti-Feminist? (New York Times, Feb. 18, 2026)

For many Americans, taxes are a chore to complete once a year. But if you reflect on the tax code long enough, you may see it differently — as a reflection of values, or even a national anthem. In some places, it may also sound anti-feminist.

Bridget J. Crawford, a professor at Pace University’s Elisabeth Haub School of Law, has analyzed the tax code through all of these lenses in her academic work, which has a recurring refrain: The tax code is not neutral.

She has long believed that it reinforces power imbalances and gender inequality in particular, which led her and a colleague to chase after a question: What would the tax code look like if it were reimagined through a feminist framework?

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With tax season upon us, we asked Professor Crawford to reflect upon the tax landscape today, and what she’d rewrite if given the chance….