I think there is truth in this, but it isn't that the period would be "Eve-flavored" but rather a period of greater liberty. The position of women would be a marker; if women enjoy greater liberty its because liberty itself is in greater supply and more generalized. It doesn't seem surprising that liberty would lead to innovation.
Liberty: Good. Innovation: Good; "tearing old ideas apart and remodeling the world": not necessarily good, not necessarily innovative, and not necessarily expansive of individual liberty. The Devil's in the details.
But I do take your point marron. We see in Iraq, for instance, a greater participation of women in civil society, and this has had a liberalizing effect on society in general, as it tries to move away from authoritarian or theocratic political models. If this trend continues, it ought to contribute to the overall prosperity and security of Iraq in the future, and so I hope and pray it all works out.
I'm just a little touchy about "feminism" in general, which is what I associated with Fowler's term, "Eve-flavored age." Frankly, I find feminism a puzzling term. Is Sarah Palin — a strong, self-determined, capable woman — a "feminist?"
When that term is used, I surmise what we're talking about is a person identifying with a radicalized group of females who either overtly or covertly detest and resent men, and whose "litmus test" of political association is the implacable demand for free access to abortion services at any stage of pre-born life or even after birth. Clearly Sarah Palin could not be described as a "feminist" on these terms, though Pelosi, Feinstein, Boxer, et al., certainly can.
Heaven knows I'm all for the advancement of women in society since I happen to be one myself. But I much prefer the Iraqi model to that of the Feminazis. It seems to me that the Iraqis are at least dealing in First Reality, while the organized feminists want to tear it apart and "remodel the world" in ways more conducive to their liking.
Just some more maunderings FWIW.... Thank you ever so much for your perceptive essay/post marron!