Paternalistic federal laws and regulations thwart initiatives to grant women the same economic liberties as men. Why have federal institutions overseeing employment, employee benefits, childcare, taxation, health care, education, retirement, and social security adopted such a warped and antiquated perspective of traditional family life? And what can be done about it? Leaving Women Behind answers these important and provocative questions. The authors call upon the federal government to get out of the way of marketplace initiatives. Employers and employees across the country are perfectly capable of making mutually beneficial adjustments if the government simply unties their hands. They offer realistic solutions; solutions that involve empowering people, giving them more choices, and making government less intrusive. Published in cooperation with The Manhattan Institute and The National Center for Policy Analysis.

Kimberley A. Strassel is a senior editorial page writer for The Wall Street Journal. She joined the editorial page in 1999, after working as a news reporter for Dow Jones in London and New York. Ms. Strassel is a native of Oregon and a graduate of Princeton University. Celeste Colgan is an educational consultant, and member of the National Council on the Humanities and the Board of Trustees of Mesa State College in Colorado. She formerly served as a senior fellow and director of the Women in the Economy Project of the National Center for Policy Analysis. Before joining the NCPA, she held various positions, including director of the Wyoming Department of Commerce, as a member of the faculty of the University of Wyoming and Casper College, and in corporate and family-owned businesses. Dr. Colgan received her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park. John C. Goodman is founder and president of the National Center for Policy Analysis, a nonprofit public policy institute with offices in Dallas, Texas, and Washington, D.C. He is the author or coauthor of more than 200 articles and eight books, including Lives at Risk (2004). He received the prestigious Duncan Black Award for the best scholarly article on public choice economics in 1988. Dr. Goodman received a Ph.D. in economics from Columbia University and has taught at a number of colleges and universities.

Chapter 1 IntroductionChapter 2 Women as WorkersChapter 3 Women and ChildcareChapter 4 Women as TaxpayersChapter 5 Women and HealthChapter 6 Women and EducationChapter 7 Women as Savers and InvestorsChapter 8 Women and Social SecurityChapter 9 Women as RetireesChapter 10 Women and the Future of Elderly Entitlement ProgramsChapter 11 Women and Welfare