Taylor’s Version of feminism

There is no official world record for the largest number of people to swear in unison, but if there was, then Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour may well have broken it. During cult classic All Too Well (the 10-minute version, of course), Swift led the predominantly female audience in collective cry:  “F*ck the Patriarchy!”

She can’t be given credit for singing the phrase into existence, but she has undoubtedly turbocharged its use — so much so that you can now buy hoodies with it emblazoned across the front.

Swift just got married, and the public assembly of every celebrity alive at the venue, Madison Square Garden, suggests she wasn’t ashamed about it. Is she rescinding her vow to bring down the patriarchy through the old-fashioned act of becoming someone’s wife, even if her husband is soft jock Travis Kelce?

No, I say. Taylor is practising what she preaches precisely because getting married is two fingers to the patriarchy. Traditional feminism lamented marriage as a device to keep women financially dependent on men. But modern marriage does the opposite.

Traditional feminism lamented marriage as a device to keep women financially dependent on men. But modern marriage does the opposite

It creates enforceable obligations between partners, protects caregiving, and recognises the economic sacrifices that often fall disproportionately on women. Historically, there were good reasons why women needed protection from bad marriages. Today, women gain protection through getting married.

“You swore that you loved me, but where were the clues? I died on the altar waiting for the proof.” That was Swift in “So Long, London”, frustrated at a six-and-a-half-year relationship of unequal commitment with her ex-boyfriend. In marriage, the power dynamic shifts: the person who cares the least does not have the upper hand. Walking away has higher costs. Promises become obligations.

Feminists point out that women continue to shoulder more unpaid caring responsibilities than men, and they are right. That is precisely why legal commitment matters. If one partner reduces their earnings to raise children while the other continues climbing the career ladder, marriage recognises that both decisions contribute to the family’s success.

Women’s health and happiness are boosted through marriage. Married women are half as likely to be victims of domestic abuse than those cohabiting. Who are the happiest people in the country, according to the UK happiness index? Married people, substantially above cohabitators.

New research by Dr Harry Benson and the Centre for Social Justice found that marriage is independently associated with stability, even after controlling for a whole host of other socio-economic factors.  Parents who have never married are almost two times more likely to separate by a child’s fourteenth birthday than those who married before conception. Survive that long, and you are twice as likely to climb up the income ladder as those who separate.

Whilst the UK could do much more to incentivise marriage, there’s still legal benefits: not least next-of-kin medical rights, tax-free asset transfers, exemptions from Inheritance Tax, spousal support rights upon divorce, and automatic inheritance rights if a partner dies without a will.  Swift and Kelce will benefit from tax incentives in the US too.

You don’t have to be given away by your father or change your name. You can just secure the protections that feminists have fought for over generations:  recognising unpaid care, protecting both partners economically, and creating obligations that survive past the end of a relationship.