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viii Preface coverage of contraception and the funding of health organizations such as Planned Parenthood as recently as the 2016 presidential election. Although attempts have been made to frame the current discussion as a purely fi nan- cial and political debate (Laasch & Conaway, 2009), it is diffi cult to examine policies directly tied to issues of historical power inequities between men and women without recognizing the impact of the broader historical and cultural themes. As such, it may be helpful to visualize levels of where the proposed war on women is occurring, and how each level is inexplicably tied together but viewed through unique lenses of study. For instance, the sociological per- spective is ingrained in, but different than, the psychological perspective. It is also important to note that by “pulling a lever” (of change), this has both upstream and downstream impacts because all of the issues are so interwo- ven. Thus, we ask: What do we need to know and understand about gender issues at multiple levels before trying to tackle problems and fi nd solutions? The purpose of this edited collection is to provide another look at a com- pelling framework from which to view the struggle for gender equality in the United States, the so-called War on Women. This book has assembled chap- ters regarding issues of gender equality and women’s civil rights, extend- ing the analogy of a struggle for equal rights with a war. As such, gender equality issues can be examined at the macro level (a battlefi eld), the meso level (battles), and the micro level (individual skirmishes). This collection of works will provide readers with a comprehensive overview of what the Figure 0.1 Three Sections of “The U.S. War on Women”