Sexism in America: Alive, Well, and Ruining Our Future Book

Published during the early years of Barack Obama's presidency, Barbara J. Berg offers a scathing critique of the claim that we now live in a "post-feminist society." To debunk the widespread claim that feminism is no longer needed, the author sets out to show how and why feminist gains during the 1970s were undermined in subsequent decades. In particular, she highlights the erosion of women's reproductive rights and of protections given women in the work place.

Given Donald Trump's recent election as president of the United States, this topic has become more pressing than it was at the time of publication of this book. After all, Trump's campaign was predicated on misogyny. Repeatedly, he sought to discredit his female critics by making insulting remarks about their physical appearance. Yet, white women in record numbers voted for Donald Trump. This reality astounded the media and prompted many feminists to ask hard questions about why so many women were rejecting feminism.

Because this topic is so important, I would love to give this book a higher rating. However in good conscience I cannot, because the author does not adequately flesh out her arguments or provide sufficient documentation for her claims. For example, in Chapter 5 "Reagan and the Great Reality Check," the author describes in two short paragraphs efforts by the Reagan administration to move the nation to the right on social issues by "labeling those who disagreed with them as deviants." The demonization of opponents by the Republican Party in the 1980s is an important claim and not one that can be adequately proved in two paragraphs. Equally problematic is the author's tendency to reference "studies" without identifying who conducted the study or the size of the study. In chapter 9 (9/11 and Women), she writes: "One study, conducted in 2000 and again in 2002, found that women in new-economy companies who kept their jobs through the start of recession experienced heightened insecurities and difficulties after the attacks" (109). This shortcoming in the text is not corrected in the notes provided for the chapter. The source of the studies referenced remains a mystery, opening the book to attack from feminist detractors. Thus rather than changing minds, this book preaches to the choir.