The Modern-Day Feminist Movement: How Women are Selling-Out Women

“In a certain sense it was almost accidental—coincidental—that I wrote The Feminine Mystique, and in another sense my whole life had prepared me to write that book; all the pieces of my life came together for the first time in the writing of it.” So writes Betty Friedan years after writing the book that probably launched modern-day feminism. In the late 19th and early 20th century, women like Elizabeth Stanton and Susan B. Anthony kicked off the feminism movement in America, and yet remained true to the roots that they grew up with. With the publication of The Feminine Mystique, women all over America latched on to something new; and those new ideas have produced some very dangerous actions. What once started out as a group of down-to-earth, pro-life, pro-family women has become the complete opposite of what the founders intended. Most of the material that will be dealt with quotes American feminists and considers their views, and this is a problem in itself. However, it should be noted that the opinions of women and feminist governments overseas, particularly in Europe, are far more advanced and dangerous than those in the United States. This short essay deals with the long, hard-fought battle that women have been fighting, how modern-day feminists have sold out the women of America, and in the process have made men, women, and children all weaker from their attempts.

In January of 2001, the president of Harvard University, Larry Summers, did something outrageous. He put forth a hypothesis (backed up by decades of scientific data) that men and women are inherently different. Unfortunately Nancy Hopkins, a biologist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was in attendance. Hopkins said later that if she hadn’t left, “I would’ve either blacked out or thrown up.” Very few credible biologists, sociologists, or psychologists will attest to the idea that men and women are innately exactly the same. However, the belief that men and women are mentally, spiritually, and emotionally identical is at the bedrock core of the modern-day feminism movement. Feminist Patricia Adair Gowaty writes:

"…statements about the evolutionary source of typical differences between women and men, it seemed to many a convenient, untested ‘just-so-story’ that buttressed status quo notions about sex roles that were sometimes used to confine women to their ‘natural’ roles as mothers and subordinates to men."

One must wonder if these women have ever had children, as it seems most parents with a boy and a girl realize how different the genders are. To this day, feminists resist arguments that evoke the significance in children’s development of “salient” sexual differences between men and women and instead argue that these differences are brought on by institutions rather than nature. At the core of this belief is the idea that men and women can raise children equally. And why not, for if both genders are essentially the same, then a child can get from each gender separately just as easily as it can from both sexes. This if often the basis for the belief of feminists supporting same-sex marriage and resisting such things as the “family –friendly” tax reduction policy. It is ironic to note that modern-day feminists want absolute equal rights until the idea of women being drafted is brought into the conversation, at that point they really begin to recognize the differences in the genders. Feminists want equal representation in the workplace, but as they say; every woman’s a feminist until they see one of their own climbing up the fire-escape to rescue them. Is it really that radical to prefer a 200-pound man carry you down six stories rather than a 110-pound woman?

In the end, Larry Summers was forced to resign from his job at Harvard. One of the main reasons for this is the result of his comments at a private conference regarding the commonly-held belief of nearly every expert in the field; that men and women are different.

Also, the modern-day feminist movement has taken on topics that are either not relevant to most women, or just simply too out of the mainstream to be taken seriously. Feminism used to be about equality for women, but it has turned into something far different. Such modern-day feminist beliefs include: pro-abortion, pro-homosexuality (and homosexual marriage), the rejection of the belief in gender differences, and even taking on far-left issues such as animal cruelty. By far, the most important of these is the idea that abortion should remain legal at all stages of pregnancy. In 1991, feminists groups in Rochester, New York were planning a month of programs to protest violence against women. The group Feminists for Life planned to participate, but was barred because of their beliefs about abortion. Feminist leaders sponsoring the event said that the denial of abortion constitutes the single greatest form of violence against women.

Sex is another big issue that modern-day feminists have taken on, and their ignorance about sex is what has driven them away from mainstream women. Susan Rose, a professor at Dickinson University, writes about love and sex, “(Love) is not a word to be thrown about easily. Sex, on the other hand, is not a big deal. It’s fun, but you need to take care to use protection so you don’t get AIDS or an infection.” This statement is rather ridiculous; Rose may want to interview some more girls who have been negatively affected by sex. The arrogance from Rose in her article and her condescension towards the “Religious Right,” seeps from the pages.

Another common issue taken up by some feminist groups is the cause of animal rights. This sounds like a noble cause until one really examines the extremes of the movement. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the largest animal-rights group, and their stunts are well documented. Josephine Donovan writes that it is “…a matter of caring for animals as mothers (human and nonhuman) care for their infants…listening to animals, paying emotional attention, taking seriously—caring about—what they are telling us.” Donovan feels that there is good reason the feminist movement has taken up with PETA and other animal rights activists,

"Feminists—indeed most women—are acutely aware of what it feels like to have one’s opinion ignored, trivialized, rendered unimportant. Perhaps this experience has awakened their sensitivity to the fact that other marginalized groups—including animals—have trouble getting their viewpoints heard."

This quote could just be left alone as it is with no explanation, and nearly everyone would get the point. This idea of attempting to portray animals as equal to humans seems to never grow old. The true irony is: Why do feminists have such an easy time seeing an animal as a human, yet such a hard time seeing an eight-month-old fetus as the same?

The issues that concern feminists are just radically different from what most women are willing to accept. This has caused the term ‘feminism’ to lose its meaning. USA Today interviewed several people about what has happened to the word, and Janice Hedstrom, a twenty-seven-year-old registered nurse from Minneapolis said, “The feminist movement has made it a word that carries a negative connotation. And while I believe the movement has done a lot for women in helping them to become more equal to men, it has pushed an agenda that has been negative toward the family.”

The modern-day feminist movement has simply lost touch with the American woman. In the last 10 years, the percent of stay-at-home moms has risen by 15%. This number puts a smile on the face of conservatives, and yet is seen as a major problem for the leaders of the feminist movement. A well-known feminist lawyer, philosophy professor, and author, Linda Hirshman had this to say:

"These women are choosing lives in which they do not use their capacity for very complicated works. They are choosing lives in which they do not use their capacity to deal with very powerful other adults in the world, which takes a lot of skill. I think there are better lives and worse lives."

Hirshman is the classic example of what the modern-day feminist movement has become; someone who claims to speak for the majority of American women and yet doesn’t share their values. The arrogance of this statement is astounding. Most women wonder, what is more important than raising children? At what point in our history did the most important job become something to look down upon? Feminists are constantly complaining that women are seen as less then their male counterparts, but it appears that they are the only ones looking down on anyone.

Feminist Jackie Brookner writes, “We have developed much activism for woman’s causes: for abortion rights, equal job opportunity, rape counseling, battered women, day care.” For each of the things she lists, one can point out the problems that occurred. Abortion rights led to a rapid spread of such evils as partial-birth abortion, infanticide, and a loss of respect for human life. Equal job opportunity has come at the expense of well-qualified men, pushing them out as businesses hire women for fear of being sued. Rape counseling has led to a rape epidemic; many women have been credibly accused of lying about being raped, most notably in the Duke lacrosse scandal last year. Real rape victims become victims all over again. Day care has led to fewer stay-at-home moms and children being raised in less healthy home environments.

When researching the works of modern-day feminists, one is also struck by the fact that they simply no longer relate to the views of the common woman. “You know, last week I attended the NOW convention and, out of hundreds of sessions, only one focused on children—and it was on lesbian mothers.” So relates Elizabeth Fox-Genovese in her new book.

In conclusion, feminism as we know it is dying out. It has simply become too radical. I was struck by how mean the feminist movement sounded while I was reading about it, and so I decided to do some investigating myself. At Easter dinner this past year, I asked women on both sides of my family if they would classify themselves as feminists. My family is a good mix of conservatives and liberals on both sides, so I hoped it would be a good sample of opinions. This diverse group came together in one area though, and that is in its condemnation of the feminist movement. It was universally condemned as both man-hating and against stay-at-home mothers; and this did not sit well in a family in which most of the female members shared this occupation. A grimace came to the face of whoever I was talking to regarding today’s feminist movement. Mary Hawkesworth writes:

"The women’s movement has lost its bearings, cut itself off from American women, and abandoned its original purpose…Rather than acting in concert to produce social change, the feminist movement factionalized, devolving into highly specialized individuals and cliques, each cultivating ins arcane little patch of ground…"

What started out once as a true and just cause has morphed into something different. With the passage of Title IX and affirmative action programs, feminist organizations began gaining ground; but with the increasing problem of male failures in school and extracurricular activities, what have they gained? It’s no wonder that currently only a third of women define themselves as feminists. As that number drops every year, it is becoming clearer and clearer that the modern-day feminist movement has truly abandoned women. At Grove City College, feminism is a curse word, and that trend is sure to continue as long as organizations like Planned Parenthood and NOW continue to ignore values truly important to American women.