Carrie Lukas, president of the Independent Women’s Forum, argues in a Daily Wire opinion column that Republicans are often labeled sexist not because their policies are inherently anti-woman, but because their rhetoric on marriage, motherhood and work-life balance can come across as dismissive of women whose lives do not fit a traditional family model.
Carrie Lukas, president of the Independent Women’s Forum, argues in a Daily Wire opinion column published January 24, 2026, that Republicans face accusations of sexism in part because of how they talk about women and family—not because conservative leaders are “misogynists,” but because their messaging can be “tone deaf.”
Lukas writes that conservatives frequently cite evidence that marriage and family formation are associated with better outcomes for children and adults, including lower poverty rates and better health outcomes for married men and women, compared with their single counterparts. She contends that even when these arguments are intended to counter cultural messages discouraging marriage and parenthood, they can land poorly with women who are unmarried or do not have children.
As examples, Lukas points to statistics she cites in the column: she says nearly 20% of women over age 45 are childless, and she cites a Pew Research Center survey of adults without children in which roughly four-in-ten adults ages 50 and older without children said there was a time they wanted to have children. Lukas also writes that about one-quarter of U.S. children are being raised by a single parent—an estimate consistent with Pew Research Center analyses and U.S. Census Bureau reporting.
Lukas argues that messaging highlighting the benefits of marriage and two-parent households can come across to single parents and women without children as criticism or “rubbing it in,” and she says it may also alienate married women who have close friends or relatives who are divorced, single, or without children. She makes a similar point about work-life balance, warning that arguments about the importance of investing time in children during their earliest years can sound like an attack on working mothers, including those who would prefer to reduce work hours but feel they cannot afford to.
While Lukas echoes the idea that “facts don’t care about your feelings,” she argues that political leaders still need to communicate carefully on sensitive subjects because emotions shape how messages are received. She urges Republicans to present themselves as a party that values women broadly—not only married mothers—and writes that the party “welcomes single women, widows, lesbians, and divorcees” who share conservative views such as personal responsibility, limited government, and free markets.
Lukas also criticizes Democrats’ recent approach to debates over the meaning of womanhood and argues conservatives should frame themselves as defenders of women as a distinct group entitled to equal opportunity and protection under the law. She concludes that refining rhetoric around marriage, family, and work could help Republicans improve their standing with women voters while keeping their policy goals intact.
