Table Of Content(continued from front flap) WOMEN'S STUDIES/SOCIAL SCIENCE $24.95 (CAN $27.95)
society lauding their attributes in speeches “Vital reading for everyone to ensure that the quality of life for women SE X ISM Do you know:
while scorning them in public policy and continues to transform [and] ultimately create complete gender equality.”
• The United States is thirty-first in
popular culture, and the legacy of the —Dr. Jane Greer, author of How Could You Do This to Me? Learning to Trust After
world gender equity, behind Latvia and
women’s movement is being short-circuited Betrayal
the Philippines?
in every aspect of their lives.
• Women, especially mothers, face soaring
Passionate, extensively documented, “Sexism in America exposes one of the best-kept secrets of our time. . . .
workplace discrimination?
humorous, and persuasive, this exposé of The time has come for a new wave of feminism and this book is just what
the rampant discrimination against women we need to help bring it on!” • Women pay more for their medical
is simultaneously enlightening, frightening, —Diane E. Levin, Wheelock College, coauthor of So Sexy So Soon: The New insurance than men?
IN AMERICA
and revitalizing. It is exactly the right book
Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids
• Sexually transmitted diseases, teen
at exactly the right time.
pregnancies, and infant mortality rates in
“Sweeping vision, sharp wit, and in-depth research.”
the United States are on the rise, as are
—Rita Henley Jensen, editor in chief, Women’s eNews
heart disease and diabetes in women?
• The wage gap between men and
women begins right after college and
grows over time?
“In no-nonsense fashion, Berg lays out the case for a renewed feminist
ALI VE WELL AND
movement that can be at the center of progressive politics. Her passion , ,
and humor demonstrate why feminism is not a threat to us men but a gift—a
he news in 2008 was that women had
philosophy and a politics that can help us all become more fully human.”
B taken huge strides forward. Feminists’
—Robert Jensen, University of Texas at Austin, author of Getting Off: Pornography
a decades-long struggle finally seemed to be
RUINING
and the End of Masculinity r
b paying off, not only in boardrooms, class-
a
r rooms, and kitchens but also at the very
“Powerful and passionate, convincingly argued, and poignantly written.” a
top—in presidential politics. But what is the
J
Barbara J. Berg devotes her professional —Miriam Forman-Brunell, University of Missouri–Kansas City, author of Girlhood in
. truth behind the headlines?
life to issues concerning women. She has America: An Encyclopedia B
In Sexism in America: Alive, Well, and
e
written for the New York Times Magazine, the
r Ruining Our Future, renowned feminist author
g
Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun, Parents, “In the world of medicine, sexism is always lurking. What I did not realize
, Barbara J. Berg debunks the many myths
Ms., Working Woman, and Ladies’ Home until I read Sexism in America is that it is pervasive throughout much of P about how far women have come and the
Journal. Her extensive television appearances society, albeit in insidious ways.” h. OUR F UTURE pervasive belief that ours is a postfeminist
D
include the CBS Morning Show, CNN, and —Phyllis E. Greenberger, president and CEO, Society for Women’s Health Research . society. Combining authoritative research
Oprah. Berg has taught at Sarah Lawrence
and compelling storytelling, Berg traces the
College, Yale Medical School, Columbia
assault on women’s status from the 1950s—
University, the Academy of Medicine, and the
when Newsweek declared “for the American
Horace Mann School. She lives in New York
girl, books and babies don’t mix”—to the
City with her husband.
present, exploring the deception about
women’s progress and contextualizing our
Author photo © 2009 David Beyda Studio, NYC current situation. All women are hurt by a
Jacket design: Visible Logic, Inc.
Barbara J. Berg, Ph.D.
Printed in the United States of America
(continued on back flap)
SE XISM
IN AMERICA
ALIVE WELL AND
, ,
RUINING
OUR FUTURE
Barbara J. Berg, Ph.D.
(i-xx, 1-412) sexism.indd 1 6/12/09 2:57:11 PM
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Berg, Barbara J.
Sexism in America : alive, well, and ruining our future / Barbara J. Berg. —
1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-55652-776-0 (hardcover)
1. Sexism—United States. 2. Sex discrimination against women—United
States. 3. Sex role—United States. 4. Women—United States. 5. Men—
United States—Psychology. I. Title.
HQ1237.5.U6B47 2009
305.420973—dc22
2009011473
Interior design: Pamela Juárez
© 2009 by Barbara J. Berg
All rights reserved
First edition
Published by Lawrence Hill Books
An imprint of Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
814 North Franklin Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610
ISBN 978-1-55652-776-0
Printed in the United States of America
5 4 3 2 1
(i-xx, 1-412) sexism.indd 2 6/12/09 2:57:11 PM
In loving memory of my mother, an early
feminist who fought the good fight and taught me
never to give up.
And for my husband, who has helped me
to fulfill my mother’s dreams.
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T
here is no insurmountable solitude. All paths lead to
the same goal: to convey to others what we are. And we
must pass through solitude and difficulty, isolation and silence,
in order to reach forth to the enchanted place where we can
dance our clumsy dance and sing our sorrowful song—but in
this dance or in this song there are fulfilled the most ancient
rites of our conscience in the awareness of being human and of
believing in a common destiny.
—Pablo Neruda, Towards the Splendid City,
Nobel Lecture, 1971
(i-xx, 1-412) sexism.indd 4 6/12/09 2:57:12 PM
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction: Inequality—the New Normal ix
1 The Awakening of American Women 1
2 Feminism Takes Flight 17
3 Gender Roles Under Fire 31
4 Do Not Bend, Fold, Spindle, or Mutilate 41
5 Reagan and the Great Reality Check 53
6 Welfare Queens, Herculean Women,
and Sex-Starved Stalkers 63
7 The Mixed Bag of Bill Clinton 79
8 Bushwinked to Bushwhacked 91
9 9/11 and Women 101
10 9/11 and Men 113
11 Military Madness 119
12 Starve the Beast, Sink the Nation 129
13 Bodily Harm 137
14 Birth-Control Activists, Please Phone Home 151
15 Trouble@edu 171
16 The Campaign Against Working Women 189
17 Mothers Matter(s) 213
18 Unpopular Culture 233
19 Missing at the Multiplex 245
20 The Disappearing Girl 265
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21 Toxic Males and Tarty Females 281
22 Desperately Seeking Self 303
23 More Than a Few Good Women 311
Conclusion: The Change We Need 323
Resources 335
Notes 344
Bibliography 399
Index 406
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ACknowledgments
I a m fortunate to have received ongoing encouragement and support
while writing this book. Deborah and Ralph Blumenthal, Jane and John
Brickman, Miriam Forman-Brunell, Nina and Peter Cobb, Susan Heath,
Rosalind and Bob Konigsberg, Susan Maier, Susan Pollock, Amanda Rolat,
Patty Wineapple, and Gerri Woods have all offered cogent, critical insights
to the manuscript in its different stages. Their generosity of time and spirit
and their unfailing interest and abiding friendships have enhanced my
work and kept me going through the inevitable rough spots.
I am also indebted to Lynn La Pierre, who was always at the ready to
read and discuss my writing, and whose help in developing my online
survey was invaluable. Lynne Hirsh did a wonderful job of designing my
Web site, making it possible for me to reach hundreds of women across
the country. Kari Etter and Laura Harrington graciously assisted with
my many emergency computer problems and saved my manuscript on
numerous occasions.
My editors at Chicago Review Press, Sue Betz and Lisa Reardon, have
been steadfast allies in this project. I’m deeply appreciative of their com-
mitment to the topic as well as their sage counsel and hard work.
Deborah Schneider, my literary agent, is truly in a class by herself. She
is that rare being—uncommonly intelligent, deeply dedicated to her writ-
ers, remarkable in her understanding of how and where a manuscript will
flourish, and unstinting in her efforts to make it happen. Sexism in Amer-
ica originated over the course of several conversations in her office. Her
passionate response to the subject matter and her professional expertise
transformed our wonderful talks into this book. And while I don’t want
her to be overrun with authors, she epitomizes the best in the business. I
am grateful as well to Cathy Gleason, Britt Carlson, and Victoria Marini of
the Gelfman Schneider Agency for their ongoing, enthusiastic assistance.
vii
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viii Acknowledgments
Thank you also to all the women and school-age girls who took time
out of their hectic schedules to answer my survey and then pass it on to
their friends, relatives, and colleagues. Your stories have motivated and
enriched this endeavor. I have integrated them throughout the book,
changing the names of those who requested I do so. Any book as com-
prehensive as this one has many roots (and many intellectual debts). My
thinking has been shaped by students in my history and medical school
classes and by the women I’ve met through various organizations and
associations who have touched my life.
My entire family has been magnificent throughout this entire process.
The younger generation, especially, has formed the go-to group for reality
checks about what’s up and “in” with the twenty- and thirtysomething set.
My children and their spouses—Alison and Michael Dalewitz, Andrew
Schlanger, and Laura and Alexis Maged—have been a constant source of
love and enthusiasm. Always available to talk and always interested in my
progress, their unflagging belief in my ability to “meet my deadline” made
me believe it also, even when time and energy argued otherwise.
Finally, my husband, Arnold Schlanger, has listened to, read, and dis-
cussed every aspect of my book. I could not and would not write with-
out him. He is an eternal optimist and my partner in everything. My
gratitude extends beyond what I can adequately convey. It is ineffable and
everlasting.
My great sadness is that my mother—an educator, social activist, and
inspiration—did not live to see Sexism in America published. Her death
during the final stages of its revision was for all of us an immeasurable
loss. I humbly hope that this book, in some small way, honors and pays
tribute to her life.
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IntroduCtIon
InequalIty—the new normal
A
“ live and well?” my dentist asks. “After Hillary almost got the Dem-
ocratic nomination, and Sarah Palin had the number-two spot on
the Republican ticket, how can you say sexism is alive and well?” I wonder
if he’d say Barack Obama’s presidency has obliterated racial discrimina-
tion in America, but before I can ask, he says, “Besides, with so much
wrong in this country, why are you worrying about women?”
He lifts a dental mirror and curette from the tray. Since I have a policy
never to argue with someone about to put sharp instruments in my mouth,
I don’t respond as I want to. But my dentist, thoughtful and progressive
though he is, has just proven my point. Women are part of this coun-
try—51 percent of it. And the problems facing us as a nation fall mightily
upon them.
Hillary Clinton’s candidacy did show women’s potential even as it
encouraged the Republicans’ misguided attempt to woo her supporters
with the VP nomination of Sarah Palin. Yet neither candidate, although
worlds apart in experience, knowledge, and commitment to women’s
rights, managed to escape the cage of gender politics—a cage fortified by
retrograde media coverage.
Senator Clinton, presenting herself as the most qualified presiden-
tial contender, who just happened to have an X chromosome, encoun-
tered fierce resistance from a press determined to peg her as a “femin-
azi.” And when the strategy of selecting Governor Palin—intended to
buoy up a faltering McCain campaign—sank beneath the weight of its
own cynical miscalculations, Palin too became drenched in a tsunami of
criticism with a distinctly antifemale hue. “Arm candy,” “ditz,” “shopa-
holic,” “diva”—charges torpedoed from in- and outside the Beltway. With
ix
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Description:The news in 2008 was that women had taken huge strides forward. Feminists’ decades-long struggle finally seemed to be paying off, not only in boardrooms, classrooms, and kitchens but also at the very top—in presidential politics. But what is the truth behind the headlines? In Sexism in America:
