Who stole feminism? : how women have betrayed women

Philosophy professor Christina Sommers has exposed a disturbing development: how a group of zealots, claiming to speak for all women, are promoting a dangerous new agenda that threatens our most cherished ideals and sets women against men in all spheres of life. In case after case, Sommers shows how these extremists have propped up their arguments with highly questionable but well-funded research, presenting inflammatory and often inaccurate information and stifling any semblance of free and open scrutiny. Trumpeted as orthodoxy, the resulting "findings" on everything from rape to domestic abuse to economic bias to the supposed crisis in girls' self-esteem perpetuate a view of women as victims of the "patriarchy." Moreover, these arguments and the supposed facts on which they are based have had enormous influence beyond the academy, where they have shaken the foundations of our educational, scientific, and legal institutions and have fostered resentment and alienation in our private lives. Despite its current dominance, Sommers maintains, such a breed of feminism is at odds with the real aspirations and values of most American women and undermines the cause of true equality. Who Stole Feminism? is a call to arms that will enrage or inspire, but cannot be ignored. Sure to provoke controversy, Who Stole Feminism? reveals how a group of academic zealots, claiming to speak for all women, has promoted a dangerous new agenda that threatens our most cherished ideals--and sets women against men in all spheres of life. Arguing that a small but powerful group has used misinformation campaigns to promote the idea of women as victims of the "patriarchy," an expose of these ideologues maintains that extremists damage the cause of equality. Philosophy professor Christina Sommers has exposed a disturbing development: how a group of zealots, claiming to speak for all women, are promoting a dangerous new agenda that threatens our most cherished ideals and sets women against men in all spheres of life. In case after case, Sommers shows how these extremists have propped up their arguments with highly questionable but well-funded research, presenting inflammatory and often inaccurate information and stifling any semblance of free and open scrutiny. Trumpeted as orthodoxy, the resulting "findings" on everything from rape to domestic abuse to economic bias to the supposed crisis in girls' self-esteem perpetuate a view of women as victims of the "patriarchy." Moreover, these arguments and the supposed facts on which they are based have had enormous influence beyond the academy, where they have shaken the foundations of our educational, scientific, and legal institutions and have fostered resentment and alienation in our private lives. Despite its current dominance, Sommers maintains, such a breed of feminism is at odds with the real aspirations and values of most American women and undermines the cause of true equality. Who Stole Feminism? is a call to arms that will enrage or inspire, but cannot be ignored Cover......Page 1 Copyright page......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 9 Contents......Page 11 Preface......Page 13 1 Women Under Siege......Page 21 2 Indignation, Resentment, and Collective Guilt......Page 43 3 Transforming the Academy......Page 52 4 New Epistemologies......Page 76 5 The Feminist Classroom......Page 89 6 A Bureaucracy of One's Own......Page 120 7 The Self-Esteem Study......Page 139 8 The Wellesley Report: A Gender at Risk......Page 159 9 Noble Lies......Page 190 10 Rape Research......Page 211 11 The Backlash Myth......Page 229 12 The Gender Wardens......Page 257 Preface......Page 278 1 Women Under Siege......Page 279 3 Transforming the Academy......Page 281 4 New Epistemologies......Page 285 5 The Feminist Classroom......Page 286 6 A Bureaucracy of One's Own......Page 287 7 The Self-Esteem Study......Page 289 8 The Wellesley Report: A Gender at Risk......Page 291 9 Noble Lies......Page 295 10 Rape Research......Page 299 11 The Backlash Myth......Page 302 12 The Gender Wardens......Page 306 A......Page 309 B......Page 310 C......Page 311 D......Page 312 F......Page 313 H......Page 314 K......Page 315 M......Page 316 N......Page 317 R......Page 318 S......Page 319 T......Page 320 W......Page 321 Z......Page 322 This Book Claims That The Modern Feminist Movement Has Been Co-opted By Radical Left-wing Extremists. In Addition To Attacking Academics, Liberals, And The Feminist Leaders, The Author Accuses All Of The Above Of Using Deceptive Or Inaccurate Data. Women Under Siege -- Indignation, Resentment, And Collective Guilt -- Transforming The Academy -- New Epistemologies -- The Feminist Classroom -- A Bureaucracy Of One's Own -- The Self-esteem Study -- The Wellesley Report : A Gender At Risk -- Noble Lies -- Rape Research -- The Backlash Myth -- The Gender Wardens. Christina Hoff Sommers. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. In Who Stole Feminism? , philosophy professor Christina Sommers has exposed how a group of zealots are promoting a dangerous new agenda that sets women against men in all spheres of life. In case after case, Sommers shows how these extremists have propped up their arguments with highly questionable but well-funded research, presenting inflammatory and often inaccurate information and stifling any semblance of free and open scrutiny. Arguing that a small but powerful group has used unscientific research and misinformation campaigns to promote the idea of women as victims of the ""patriarchy,"" an expose+a7 of these idealogues maintains that extremists damage the cause of equality. Tour. Presents well-reasoned arguments against many feminists' reliance on misleading, politically-motivated "facts" about how women are victimized. The book has become the centre of debate about who really speaks for equality and for most American women. A surprising number of clever and powerful feminists share the conviction that American women still live in a patriarchy where men collectively keep women down.