A basic tenet of economics is that taxes provide an incentive to avoid or reduce the the activity that is taxed. So does this mean that people really stop or start working based on taxes? Yes it does, especially if you are the second earner in the household. Women are more likely to be second earners and are punished by taxes on married couples. In fact, Virginia Postel, an economic columnist for the New York Times found that when the tax rates for upper income earning women were dropped in 1986, women began participating in the work force at a rate of 3x more than before the tax cuts.

Hell, the origin of patriarchy began during the agricultural revolution when women became less active participants in gathering food and were given the task of raising children. Hunter gatherer societies were far more egalitarian in regards to gender. Isn't giving women equal economic power a great way to advance female empowerment?