Few politicians did much to move the needle toward anything resembling gender equality, but it was President Nixon who first threw women under the political bus of Movement Conservatism.

The quote by Heather Cox Richardson critiques the lack of progress by politicians in advancing gender equality and specifically points to President Nixon as the figure who undermined women’s rights for the sake of political gain. By saying he “threw women under the political bus of Movement Conservatism,” Richardson suggests that Nixon sacrificed support for women’s rights in order to align with the rising conservative movement, which opposed many aspects of the feminist agenda. Her words emphasize how political strategy often took precedence over genuine progress toward equality.

The origin of this statement comes from Richardson’s historical research into the development of Movement Conservatism in the United States. In the late 1960s and 1970s, Nixon sought to consolidate conservative voters, particularly those resistant to rapid social changes around race, gender, and culture. While women’s rights advocates pushed for measures such as the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and workplace protections, Nixon and his administration chose to distance themselves from these reforms, appealing instead to more traditionalist voters.

Her remark also highlights the broader dynamic in American politics where issues of gender equality have often been treated as bargaining chips. While some progress was made through grassroots activism, national leaders, including Nixon, frequently sidelined women’s demands in favor of securing political alliances. This demonstrates how systemic barriers were maintained not only through societal norms but also through deliberate political choices.

In summary, Richardson’s quote underscores the role of President Nixon in shaping a conservative political strategy that deprioritized women’s rights. By linking his actions to the rise of Movement Conservatism, she illustrates how pivotal moments in U.S. history affected the trajectory of gender equality. Her analysis reveals how political decisions in the Nixon era set the stage for decades of tension between feminist movements and conservative politics.