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The F-Word: Feminism In Jeopardy - Women, Politics and the Future
Many young women today consider "feminism" a dirty word, an antiquated term that hasn’t expanded to accommodate the diverse needs of a new generation. In addition, decades of negative campaigns, excessively "messaged" issues, and hanging chads have all combined to make political apathy appear not only smart, but sexy. The result is that while they still bemoan the state of gender politics, gender equity, and the agendas of their local, state, and national politicians, nearly 19 million young women chose not to vote in the last presidential election.
Yes, the face of feminism is changing, but to what end? Is a new generation taking for granted the rights hard-won only a generation before? And by focusing on cultural–not electoral–politics, are young women giving their power away? In this pivotal book, Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, political and environmental consultant (and wife of Washington State’s Republican senate majority leader), asks these critical questions, tracing feminism’s distinguished past and asking what can be done to protect and further women’s rights and freedoms.
Yes, the face of feminism is changing, but to what end? Is a new generation taking for granted the rights hard-won only a generation before? And by focusing on cultural–not electoral–politics, are young women giving their power away? In this pivotal book, Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, political and environmental consultant (and wife of Washington State’s Republican senate majority leader), asks these critical questions, tracing feminism’s distinguished past and asking what can be done to protect and further women’s rights and freedoms.
302 pages, Paperback
First published July 30, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 5, 2011
Allow me to paraphrase part of the book for you: "So, my friend and I were driving in her Prius to go check out the house she just bought with her fiance [don't worry, we can afford things like this - we're in our LATE twenties!]. The radio was tuned to NPR (natch!), and a statistic flies out of the airwaves at us: a lot of marriages end in divorce. My friend gets a panicked look on her face, and I laugh! 'Marriages do end in divorce sometimes,' I say gently. 'But, not upper-middle-class-white feminist marriages like ours.' Speaking of marriages, here are some stories about how my rich white ladyfriends deal with reconciling feminism and marriage: they hire housekeepers and nannies. Phew! Done and done. It's so hard to balance our feminist lives, right?!
Now, that that's all worked out...I should probably remind you that poor-nonwhite-females have an EVEN harder time balancing feminist ideals and domestic life than my executive and successful-PR-rep ladyfriends, if you can imagine that! What, you can't imagine that because I did not include their stories or advice unless it was intrinsically attached to a pity-sentence reminding you to vote? Well, don't think too much about it. I don't actually KNOW any poor-nonwhite-females, and neither do you, so what-evs.
What do you MEAN 50% of my book is redundant!? Here is a sentence of statistics that you won't read because I've already given you too many sentences in the same vein. I mean, honestly, numbers never get boring, am I right?!
Wait, wait! Please don't get bored! I need to remind you that your vote is important one more time before you go! Did I mention that I am a fourth-generation feminist? What? Your grandmother wielded a mop all her life? Pffft. Yup, fourth-gen-femmy - that is what allows me to speak to you in this condescending tone.
Now, don't forget to vote, plebs!"
Now, that that's all worked out...I should probably remind you that poor-nonwhite-females have an EVEN harder time balancing feminist ideals and domestic life than my executive and successful-PR-rep ladyfriends, if you can imagine that! What, you can't imagine that because I did not include their stories or advice unless it was intrinsically attached to a pity-sentence reminding you to vote? Well, don't think too much about it. I don't actually KNOW any poor-nonwhite-females, and neither do you, so what-evs.
What do you MEAN 50% of my book is redundant!? Here is a sentence of statistics that you won't read because I've already given you too many sentences in the same vein. I mean, honestly, numbers never get boring, am I right?!
Wait, wait! Please don't get bored! I need to remind you that your vote is important one more time before you go! Did I mention that I am a fourth-generation feminist? What? Your grandmother wielded a mop all her life? Pffft. Yup, fourth-gen-femmy - that is what allows me to speak to you in this condescending tone.
Now, don't forget to vote, plebs!"
March 25, 2013
Feminism has unfairly taken a beating the past several years; to be a feminist merely means you support political, social, and economic rights for women equal to those of men. A big deal? No. If you have sisters, a mother, and most especially daughters, you should feel that this is only just. However, in the last few years the word 'feminism' has taken on different meanings, none flattering, a point that the author discusses at length. She also writes about how far from a just society we still are in the United States. It makes for a great book, and even for someone like me, who keeps up to date with current events, politics, etc., it was illuminating, as it discusses how corporations, Wall Street, Washington D.C. and others continue to often treat women unfairly. Just as an aside, I continue to harbor nothing but hostility for Walmart, which once again is highlighted for just how nasty and unfair they conduct their business practices. I would not shop there if they were the only store left on the planet.
June 24, 2024
AN ARTICULATION OF “THIRD WAVE” FEMINISM
Kristen Rowe-Finkbeiner is the cofounder (with Joan Blades) and Executive Director of MomsRising.
She wrote in the Introduction to this 2004 book, “this generation approaches politics in a radically different way. Yet the new individualism may bring too high a price. Feminism has turned into a dirty word and electoral politics has lost its luster. Lacking a broad-based, cohesive women’s movement that engages in electoral politics… we are now seeing the effects that occur when our society doesn’t support the increasingly complex lives of modern American women.” (Pg. 4-5)
She continues, “The f-word has been particularly hard hit by stereotype loading and inaccurate use. As a result, ‘feminism’ now has an outdated, ‘70s connotation---instead of shifting with the movement, the term has stayed stagnant, becoming one of the many stumbling blocks for a broad-based contemporary women’s movement…If the term ‘feminism’ is deterring women from engaging in important issues, perhaps it’s time to move beyond the word--- because while we’re preoccupied debating the limitations of the term, our sexual and social landscape, our rights and freedoms, are being shaped---and not by women.” (Pg. 6-7)
She goes on, “This book also takes an in-depth look at the ideals, attitudes, and tactics of the emerging ‘third wave’ of American feminism, the post-Friedan era. Improved access to reproductive information, education, and professional opportunities, and a greater variety in life choices, have led to a new social and political reality for women, allowing an unprecedented freedom of individuality and sexuality.” (Pg. 9) She adds, “Clearly the mantra of the women’s of the women’s movement in the 1960s and ‘70s, ‘The personal is political,’ is no longer heeded by today’s young women in an electoral sense. This book examines the new divides, along with the political realities of a changed world.” (Pg. 11)
She summarizes, “Is a new generation taking for granted the rights hard won only a generation before? And by focusing on cultural, not electoral, politics are young women giving their power away? This book asks these critical questions, tracing feminism’s distinguished history and exploring new developments in American political history, asking what can be done to protect and further women’s rights and freedoms while illuminating strategies to awaken the sleeping electoral power of today’s young women.” (Pg. 17)
She explains, “We are not in a time of postfeminism. We are in the third wave…What makes defining the third wave challenging is … missing is a shared movement that connects the factions of modern feminism and moves shared issues into the broad arena of popular concern. The sad fact is that many modern women face the challenges of gender inequality alone, as individuals. The feeling that individual concerns add up to societal issues in need of electoral … action has been lost… as the second wave fades.” (Pg. 32)
She observes, “feminism, having been integrated into many aspects of daily life since the 1970s, often isn’t connected with specific ideological issues. Feminism is being blown wide-open by the third wave as young feminists individually create their own ideologies. This doesn’t make for easy cross-generational communication… Although the daughters of the feminist revolution are living in a changed world, ambiguities and complications exist, and many young women lament the loss of a prominent feminist movement.” (Pg. 66)
She notes, “In a world that valued women, the question, ‘What are your top three social issues?’ wouldn’t be answered by college students with … gender equality, reproductive rights, self-identity, work-and-family balance, violence against women, economic issues, health care, and education. The scope and fundamental nature of these concerns demonstrates that the main goals of feminism … have yet to be achieved.” (Pg. 82-83)
She suggests, “The reason for the delayed-marriage trend could just be that this is the first generation of women to look critically at America’s divorce rate, realize their own ability to be financially independent, and sum it all up by questioning the importance of marriage in general.” (Pg. 134)
She states, “It has long been assumed that professional success, power, and full-time motherhood were mutually exclusive, and women who took time out of their careers to parent were seen as leaving professional life forever. Fortunately, this is no longer the case. More and more women are ‘sequencing’ in and out of the labor force… Sequencing is gaining attention as more women choose to move in and out of professional careers to parent full-time.” (Pg. 166)
She comments, “it appears there is an underlying trend of campus women stepping back from motherhood, not necessarily because they don’t want children, but because of the lack of societal support and the disproportionate burden carried by today’s mothers… the absence of support for women who do choose to become mothers is unacceptable, and national politics must be changed. Feminism… cannot be ‘over’ until those principles of equality are reached. Parenting… is perhaps the biggest feminist issue for today’s generation of young women.” (Pg. 182)
This book will be of keen interest to those studying the contemporary trends in the women’s movement.
Kristen Rowe-Finkbeiner is the cofounder (with Joan Blades) and Executive Director of MomsRising.
She wrote in the Introduction to this 2004 book, “this generation approaches politics in a radically different way. Yet the new individualism may bring too high a price. Feminism has turned into a dirty word and electoral politics has lost its luster. Lacking a broad-based, cohesive women’s movement that engages in electoral politics… we are now seeing the effects that occur when our society doesn’t support the increasingly complex lives of modern American women.” (Pg. 4-5)
She continues, “The f-word has been particularly hard hit by stereotype loading and inaccurate use. As a result, ‘feminism’ now has an outdated, ‘70s connotation---instead of shifting with the movement, the term has stayed stagnant, becoming one of the many stumbling blocks for a broad-based contemporary women’s movement…If the term ‘feminism’ is deterring women from engaging in important issues, perhaps it’s time to move beyond the word--- because while we’re preoccupied debating the limitations of the term, our sexual and social landscape, our rights and freedoms, are being shaped---and not by women.” (Pg. 6-7)
She goes on, “This book also takes an in-depth look at the ideals, attitudes, and tactics of the emerging ‘third wave’ of American feminism, the post-Friedan era. Improved access to reproductive information, education, and professional opportunities, and a greater variety in life choices, have led to a new social and political reality for women, allowing an unprecedented freedom of individuality and sexuality.” (Pg. 9) She adds, “Clearly the mantra of the women’s of the women’s movement in the 1960s and ‘70s, ‘The personal is political,’ is no longer heeded by today’s young women in an electoral sense. This book examines the new divides, along with the political realities of a changed world.” (Pg. 11)
She summarizes, “Is a new generation taking for granted the rights hard won only a generation before? And by focusing on cultural, not electoral, politics are young women giving their power away? This book asks these critical questions, tracing feminism’s distinguished history and exploring new developments in American political history, asking what can be done to protect and further women’s rights and freedoms while illuminating strategies to awaken the sleeping electoral power of today’s young women.” (Pg. 17)
She explains, “We are not in a time of postfeminism. We are in the third wave…What makes defining the third wave challenging is … missing is a shared movement that connects the factions of modern feminism and moves shared issues into the broad arena of popular concern. The sad fact is that many modern women face the challenges of gender inequality alone, as individuals. The feeling that individual concerns add up to societal issues in need of electoral … action has been lost… as the second wave fades.” (Pg. 32)
She observes, “feminism, having been integrated into many aspects of daily life since the 1970s, often isn’t connected with specific ideological issues. Feminism is being blown wide-open by the third wave as young feminists individually create their own ideologies. This doesn’t make for easy cross-generational communication… Although the daughters of the feminist revolution are living in a changed world, ambiguities and complications exist, and many young women lament the loss of a prominent feminist movement.” (Pg. 66)
She notes, “In a world that valued women, the question, ‘What are your top three social issues?’ wouldn’t be answered by college students with … gender equality, reproductive rights, self-identity, work-and-family balance, violence against women, economic issues, health care, and education. The scope and fundamental nature of these concerns demonstrates that the main goals of feminism … have yet to be achieved.” (Pg. 82-83)
She suggests, “The reason for the delayed-marriage trend could just be that this is the first generation of women to look critically at America’s divorce rate, realize their own ability to be financially independent, and sum it all up by questioning the importance of marriage in general.” (Pg. 134)
She states, “It has long been assumed that professional success, power, and full-time motherhood were mutually exclusive, and women who took time out of their careers to parent were seen as leaving professional life forever. Fortunately, this is no longer the case. More and more women are ‘sequencing’ in and out of the labor force… Sequencing is gaining attention as more women choose to move in and out of professional careers to parent full-time.” (Pg. 166)
She comments, “it appears there is an underlying trend of campus women stepping back from motherhood, not necessarily because they don’t want children, but because of the lack of societal support and the disproportionate burden carried by today’s mothers… the absence of support for women who do choose to become mothers is unacceptable, and national politics must be changed. Feminism… cannot be ‘over’ until those principles of equality are reached. Parenting… is perhaps the biggest feminist issue for today’s generation of young women.” (Pg. 182)
This book will be of keen interest to those studying the contemporary trends in the women’s movement.
December 21, 2010
Why are today’s women so quick to assure everyone that they aren’t feminists? The author explores how “feminism” became the other taboo “F word.” As others have noted, it was rather dry, and the author seemed a little too desperate to please.
December 29, 2023
This book is a little dated but the message is clear: not enough women are running for office. I would like to see an updated book come out, to compare how far we have come. But then again given recent events we have regressed and need to reassess our current situation. It's not just that we don't have enough women in politics, we could lose our democracy all together. I love how this book talks how it talks about how to run for office. It makes it look so easy, maybe it is. The number of resources in the back of the book are overwhelming in terms organizations to reach out to about voting. This book really does pull out all the stops in answering questions about voting and statistics. Again I would love to read an updated book!
August 7, 2018
A good primer on the importance of young female political activism. I just wish it was a more comprehensive history of these issues (and that there was a revised edition, this one was printed in 2004). I feel like it needed more historical grounding to really explain to an uninitiated reader why feminist studies and activism are so important (particularly pre-20th century history). Also, it focuses so much on political activism, it neglects some of the other ways women can, and need to activists. I went into it thinking this might be a good text for my gender course, but it's so specifically geared towards politics I didn't find it useful for a broader context.
June 10, 2007
wow. this book was horrible. the author had the potential to go so many places with the topic and yet she went nowhere.
i gave her a star because she offered up a lot of interesting statistics (which she did nothing with).
she talked down to the readers and even resorted to such cliches as "white picket fences". she also had the audacity to suggest that the child care centres set up during WWII for the working women was "an excellent example of how quickly women can instigate change".
uh. yeah.
i gave her a star because she offered up a lot of interesting statistics (which she did nothing with).
she talked down to the readers and even resorted to such cliches as "white picket fences". she also had the audacity to suggest that the child care centres set up during WWII for the working women was "an excellent example of how quickly women can instigate change".
uh. yeah.
July 20, 2016
Here's the deal with this book; you have to be interested in a lot of statistics. This is because that's what half of this book is. Actually more than half. The formula goes like this: testimony, statistic, author talking about the former. That's everything. While a lot of the statistics are surprising (regarding the actual numbers) you can't really be surprised by the fact they exist. For anyone who wants to be a feminist, or who needs a bit of a crash course in the issues that are in the world regarding women today, this book is great. But don't expect something amazing and groundbreaking.
February 3, 2008
the title is much more exciting that the book. it has a great premise but doesn't really deliver. like many gender studies books it is dry and disjointed. No originaly theories to be found.
If you are well read on or only mildly interested in the subject you'll be bored. However, If you are just getting into the subject this is a good book for you.
If you are well read on or only mildly interested in the subject you'll be bored. However, If you are just getting into the subject this is a good book for you.
July 24, 2011
While it took me forever to read this it was very good! There was a lot of information on motherhood and the gender bias therein. Also there was research presented on the inequality growing between different classes and races of women. Most importantly the point of this book was the power that we as women have - if only - we would take the time to VOTE.
August 5, 2009
I liked that this book was written in a way that was accessible and easy to understand. I also liked that it tried to cover a lot of areas even in a short length. What I liked best was that there was almost always a call to action of some sort -- a way to get involved, what needed to be done, etc.
August 7, 2007
she doesn't say anything new!
July 18, 2007
a very solid book. convincing.
January 4, 2008
Women in Politics... quick read!
April 23, 2008
I didn't really learn anything from this book, but I wish I had written it. Great primer on the status of women and feminism today.
February 3, 2009
A bit dated after this last election cycle, but otherwise a really interesting book on the (relatively) current state of modern feminism.
March 2, 2009
I'm reading this in tandem with "Women Who Run With the Wolves" so I'm getting the best of both worlds...practicality mixed with romanticism...the only way to fully embrace feminism!!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews