Feminists were demonized, despite the New Right idolization of the clearly 'working' British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (240).
Chapter 10: "Mrs. Smith Leaves Washington: The Backlash in National Politics" is a sobering read of the ground lost by women in politics, noting the decline of female representatives, senators, and appointments to the Reagan White House. One right-wing neo-conservative crowed that women were discovering that they can't "have it all" even though it was hardly females who were willingly seeking less pay than their male counterparts, for the same work (265).
That phrase 'having it all' occurs and reoccurs throughout all three chapters. The idea seems somewhat laughable, in light of the recent reinterpretation of modern work life in America. Many people work from home with the possibility of telecommuting now a reality. The idea of having a 9-5 job and a family is no longer seen as an ideal for all men or all women. Both men and women make use of flexible schedules, pursue several different careers over a lifetime, and take a varied and long and winding...
The process, not the destination is what is important, and spending time with children is part of this process, and so is working, regardless of the parent's gender. And it is the women's movement both men and women have to thank for this new occupational flexibility.
The former idols of the New Right movement are now disgraced, as in the case of ministers like Pat Robertson, or are discredited. A woman is Secretary of State for a Republican administration, and a Democratic woman is running for president. These gains did not happen overnight; rather they are examples of the reality of women's confidence and the real tolerance of the American people of change. Most Americans are not ideologues and women's power was slowly evolving and growing, beneath the hysterical media rhetoric. The media loves a good story, but the story that the media told about the backlash was a fiction, and Faludi's book is insightful in demonstrating the pervasive nature of that lie.
Works Cited
Faludi, Susan. Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women.…
