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Women Who Make the World Worse: and How Their Radical Feminist Assault Is Ruining Our Schools, Families, Military, and Sports
A top conservative writer explores the feminist assault on our families, schools, workplaces, and military
As a woman, Kate O’Beirne can say things a male commentator could never get away with. In her long-awaited first book, she takes on America’s leading feminists—including Hillary Clinton, Gloria Steinem, Eleanor Smeal, Maureen Dowd, Kate Michelman, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and even Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw. She confronts them with hard evidence of how women like them have done more harm than good over the last four decades.
As a woman, Kate O’Beirne can say things a male commentator could never get away with. In her long-awaited first book, she takes on America’s leading feminists—including Hillary Clinton, Gloria Steinem, Eleanor Smeal, Maureen Dowd, Kate Michelman, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and even Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw. She confronts them with hard evidence of how women like them have done more harm than good over the last four decades.
O’Beirne is all for women’s equality and celebrates the unprecedented opportunities they enjoy today. But she faults those feminists who believe that a hostile patriarchy reigns and that women remain its helpless victims. Their agenda is not profemale; it’s merely antimale.
Women Who Make the World Worse shows how their destructive handiwork can be felt in every corner of American life, including:
• fractured families and dispensable dads
• offices and schools that have become battlegrounds in the gender wars
• military units that put lives at risk to promote social engineering
This book takes on some very powerful women and challenges beliefs that have become feminist orthodoxy, starting with the myth that men are the enemy of women’s progress. O’Beirne marshals her allies, prepares for a good fight, and never loses her sense of humor. This is a provocative book that will appeal to anyone, male or female, who wants some old-fashioned common sense about relations between the sexes.
“We depend on manly characteristics to keep us safe. Every single one of the dead firemen heroes on 9/11 were men. This was one group where liberals didn’t ask why there wasn’t a more pleasing gender balance, because the Upper West Side is not fireproof. What happens in combat in some distant field is abstract to liberals, but they can understand the need to have strong, brave men in their fire department.” —Kate O’Beirne
256 pages, Hardcover
First published December 29, 2005
7 people are currently reading
202 people want to read
About the author
Kate O'Beirne
3 books2 followersKate O'Beirne (1949-April 23, 2017) was a longtime Washington editor of National Review and longtime panelist on CNN's "Capital Gang".
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 25, 2011
I loved this book. So often we, as women, are told that if you don't support feminism, you are an idiot. This book reiterated that it is fine for me to love being a wife and mother and that I am not stupid, uneducated, or downtrodden. This book emphasizes that men and women are different and that is how it is supposed to be. Gender androgyny is not realistic nor should it be expected. Equal opportunity does not mean equal numbers. Our differences should be encouraged and recognized for the strengths they are.
October 5, 2011
I saw this book and thought I could potentially accomplish one of two things by making myself read it all the way through: either give an honest shot at hearing what someone on the other end of the argument has to say about the issue, or potentially entertain myself if the book was bad enough.
I ended up being only a little entertained and extremely agitated at how poorly this author makes her arguments and offends her readers by expecting them to accept her "facts" when they're so full of fallacies and missing information that it would take another 200-page book to cite and explain them all.
To start with, I'd say at least half of the statistics and information she uses is from no later than the 70's, and she tries to use said statistics under contemporary circumstances. She then gives examples in parts of her book that completely contradict her claim of how feminism is harmful and unnecessary (if you're curious, a pretty good one is on page 95). Her lists of what "destructive" actions feminists have done are pointless, since most people would just look through said lists and think, "Hmm, I don't think I've EVER thought awareness of domestic violence was a problem...actually, how are any of these things bad again?" She makes statements that she claims are facts but in actuality are just opinions that are skewed with half-truths and faulty cause-and-effect logic. The only way anyone could appreciate this book is if they already agreed with her views in the first place, because she doesn't do a good job proving her case otherwise.
I'd say that out of the entire book, if you're looking for logical, sound arguments that are worth considering for the other side's point of view, maybe twelve pages are worth reading. And I don't mean entire pages; more like two or three sentences per page, or something close to that sort.
I ended up being only a little entertained and extremely agitated at how poorly this author makes her arguments and offends her readers by expecting them to accept her "facts" when they're so full of fallacies and missing information that it would take another 200-page book to cite and explain them all.
To start with, I'd say at least half of the statistics and information she uses is from no later than the 70's, and she tries to use said statistics under contemporary circumstances. She then gives examples in parts of her book that completely contradict her claim of how feminism is harmful and unnecessary (if you're curious, a pretty good one is on page 95). Her lists of what "destructive" actions feminists have done are pointless, since most people would just look through said lists and think, "Hmm, I don't think I've EVER thought awareness of domestic violence was a problem...actually, how are any of these things bad again?" She makes statements that she claims are facts but in actuality are just opinions that are skewed with half-truths and faulty cause-and-effect logic. The only way anyone could appreciate this book is if they already agreed with her views in the first place, because she doesn't do a good job proving her case otherwise.
I'd say that out of the entire book, if you're looking for logical, sound arguments that are worth considering for the other side's point of view, maybe twelve pages are worth reading. And I don't mean entire pages; more like two or three sentences per page, or something close to that sort.
September 16, 2008
It was in the 3 dollar bin at Border's.
I read it to remind myself why I am a feminist.
This book is Sarah Palin's wet dream.
I read it to remind myself why I am a feminist.
This book is Sarah Palin's wet dream.
February 20, 2013
Only two stars for being a particularly difficult read.
Very interesting book, however.
I am not as educated as I'd like to be on modern feminists views, so I picked up this book in order to learn some stuff.
This is basically an informative book written by a woman who has done all her homework on the subjects at hand. (You know, favorite feminist subjects like abortion and equal rights.) She blows away all femin-Nazi credibility with cold, hard facts and it's a great relief to me to know that more and more women are wising up to all the women's movement bullcrap that's been hanging around for so long now. There's too much hypocrisy and blatant betrayal of their own gender going on in these feminist's lives. Kate O'Beirne names names and points out inconsistencies in behavior and intent. The result is that I feel much more informed and ready to deal with any radical feminist who comes my way demanding that I subscribe to some sort of destructive, communist way of thinking.
She quotes Suzanne Venker, author of "7 Myths of Working Mothers: Why Children and (Most) Careers Don't Mix",
"The reason the work and family balance continues to be elusive is not the insensitivity of men and employers, but that raising children has always been, and will continue to be, a full-time job. And no one, male or female, can successfully perform two full-time jobs."
I absolutely agree.
She also quotes the late cultural historian Christopher Lasch who wrote: "A feminist movement that respected the achievements of women in the past would not disparage housework, motherhood or unpaid civic and neighborly services. It would not make a paycheck the only symbol of accomplishment... It would insist that people need self-respecting honorable callings, not glamorous careers that carry high salaries but take them away from their families."
Lots of really good stuff in this book. A little hard to plow through sometimes, but if you're like me and hungry about the subject matter it engulfs you.
Very interesting book, however.
I am not as educated as I'd like to be on modern feminists views, so I picked up this book in order to learn some stuff.
This is basically an informative book written by a woman who has done all her homework on the subjects at hand. (You know, favorite feminist subjects like abortion and equal rights.) She blows away all femin-Nazi credibility with cold, hard facts and it's a great relief to me to know that more and more women are wising up to all the women's movement bullcrap that's been hanging around for so long now. There's too much hypocrisy and blatant betrayal of their own gender going on in these feminist's lives. Kate O'Beirne names names and points out inconsistencies in behavior and intent. The result is that I feel much more informed and ready to deal with any radical feminist who comes my way demanding that I subscribe to some sort of destructive, communist way of thinking.
She quotes Suzanne Venker, author of "7 Myths of Working Mothers: Why Children and (Most) Careers Don't Mix",
"The reason the work and family balance continues to be elusive is not the insensitivity of men and employers, but that raising children has always been, and will continue to be, a full-time job. And no one, male or female, can successfully perform two full-time jobs."
I absolutely agree.
She also quotes the late cultural historian Christopher Lasch who wrote: "A feminist movement that respected the achievements of women in the past would not disparage housework, motherhood or unpaid civic and neighborly services. It would not make a paycheck the only symbol of accomplishment... It would insist that people need self-respecting honorable callings, not glamorous careers that carry high salaries but take them away from their families."
Lots of really good stuff in this book. A little hard to plow through sometimes, but if you're like me and hungry about the subject matter it engulfs you.
December 6, 2008
This was both a fun and scary read. I think the author did an excellent job showing various ways that the 'radical feminists' have ruined various aspects of our society. She is intelligent and makes her case clearly, with a lot of wit and humor. She also uses a lot of documentation (quotes from books, speeches, study results, etc) to prove her point. I think the book was well-written and flowed well, but there were a few points that I didn't think were as well done as they could have been.
It was really maddening though to see all of the damage done by 'women with an agenda'. The author takes us through schools, sports, the military, various jobs and the family. Some of the things I knew about and others were completely new.
Being a mother of four boys I'm very sensitive to the 'boy bashing' that is currently so popular. The chapter on the schools was extremely eye-opening and one every mother of boys should read. I also think every mother of girls should read it so that you know what your daughters are being taught and you can change that if you don't agree.
I think this is an important book for everyone to read. Laws are being passed without our knowledge with harmful effects. This book is an excellent way to educate yourself on the true agenda of radical feminists.
It was really maddening though to see all of the damage done by 'women with an agenda'. The author takes us through schools, sports, the military, various jobs and the family. Some of the things I knew about and others were completely new.
Being a mother of four boys I'm very sensitive to the 'boy bashing' that is currently so popular. The chapter on the schools was extremely eye-opening and one every mother of boys should read. I also think every mother of girls should read it so that you know what your daughters are being taught and you can change that if you don't agree.
I think this is an important book for everyone to read. Laws are being passed without our knowledge with harmful effects. This book is an excellent way to educate yourself on the true agenda of radical feminists.
February 12, 2010
This book was difficult to follow. The main ideas weren't clear. The arguments were scattered and lacked coherency. Overall, I was disappointed. This felt more like ranting rather than sincere engagement with the important issues of women in society.
May 13, 2008
A friend loaned this book to my sister. While visiting one day, the cover and title caught my eye. I picked it up, started thumbing through, and ended up taking the book home with me. The author demonstrates very convincingly how modern feminism has damaged our present culture. A very interesting and entertaining read.
June 2, 2016
First and last time I'll read a slanderous book, very selective in using sources that match the author's obvious bias. Very poor writing.
October 19, 2015
I read this book knowing that it was written from a very different point of view than mine (I am proud to call myself a feminist). I was hoping that it would provide a new perspective on issues I care about; instead, it was one of the most hateful pieces of propaganda I have ever read. O'Beirne's statistics and conclusions are only loosely founded on facts, almost purely based on personal and subjective opinion, and often contradictory.
August 3, 2008
i'm going to just come right out and say i think this book is pure crap. i'm glad i didn't buy it and only found it in a give away box. i see now why it was in the box. what i learned from this book? anybody can get published.
June 30, 2023
While the statistics the author references here are somewhat dated because of the age of the book, the principles she espouses remain relevant in our time.
The book begins with a look at how feminists at the time O’Beirne wrote this viewed marriage. She sites examples of those who decry its validity, insisting that it obliterates identity and preserves a male patriarchy of privilege and power. O’Beirne picks this apart rather systematically here with examples of statistics that shine positive lights on marriage for both economic and personal reasons. She claims a single mother is significantly more likely to abuse a child than a family where both parents are in the home.
She devotes an entire section to what she says is the myth of daycare being somehow better than conventional parenting. She writes with concern about a Marxist-like urge to collectivize the raising of children. Her perspective is that it does not take a village; instead, it takes families supporting one another.
Chapter eight, the abortion chapter, is moot considering events of a year ago, but it was still fascinating from a historical perspective. The opposition would surely grind O’Beirne and her book to powder today because of her opposition to the idea that gender is fluid. She stresses the reality of male and female in the conclusion of the book, a section entitled “Mother Nature’s a Bitch.”
There are chapters here devoted to Title IX. There’s a section on how radical feminism, as she writes it, weakened and altered the military. The chapter on education bogged me down a bit, but even it had merit as a historical document.
Had this been any longer, it wouldn’t have held my interest. But at eight hours (audio normal speed), I had no problem staying with it to the end. I suspect in its day, it would have rallied the troops, so to speak. I found it both historical and prescient in places, and that’s more than enough. The outrage armies on either side are all too alive and well, and they have their own newer snazzy triggers these days.
The audio edition I used didn’t include any notes. I’d be surprised to learn that O’Beirn didn’t bring her receipts. She sites enough studies and samples of writings of others that I trust there are extensive notes.
You get an interesting trip down Memory Lane here as she describes the birth and death of the Equal Rights Amendment, which expired on June 30, 1982.
So, how should you read this in 2023? First, keep your head and your civility. If you can do that, you’re lightyears ahead of some 98 percent of those who read this review. Look at it for the snapshot that it was and the history it preserved as told from the perspective of a female conservative author. If your personal views lean somewhat toward hers, you may see things in 2023 that this book glimpsed. If your perspective differs from O’Beirne’s, you’ll still find the signposts that spell out division among us when she wrote this, and you’ll see how those paths merged into the increasingly divisive paths of our day.
The book begins with a look at how feminists at the time O’Beirne wrote this viewed marriage. She sites examples of those who decry its validity, insisting that it obliterates identity and preserves a male patriarchy of privilege and power. O’Beirne picks this apart rather systematically here with examples of statistics that shine positive lights on marriage for both economic and personal reasons. She claims a single mother is significantly more likely to abuse a child than a family where both parents are in the home.
She devotes an entire section to what she says is the myth of daycare being somehow better than conventional parenting. She writes with concern about a Marxist-like urge to collectivize the raising of children. Her perspective is that it does not take a village; instead, it takes families supporting one another.
Chapter eight, the abortion chapter, is moot considering events of a year ago, but it was still fascinating from a historical perspective. The opposition would surely grind O’Beirne and her book to powder today because of her opposition to the idea that gender is fluid. She stresses the reality of male and female in the conclusion of the book, a section entitled “Mother Nature’s a Bitch.”
There are chapters here devoted to Title IX. There’s a section on how radical feminism, as she writes it, weakened and altered the military. The chapter on education bogged me down a bit, but even it had merit as a historical document.
Had this been any longer, it wouldn’t have held my interest. But at eight hours (audio normal speed), I had no problem staying with it to the end. I suspect in its day, it would have rallied the troops, so to speak. I found it both historical and prescient in places, and that’s more than enough. The outrage armies on either side are all too alive and well, and they have their own newer snazzy triggers these days.
The audio edition I used didn’t include any notes. I’d be surprised to learn that O’Beirn didn’t bring her receipts. She sites enough studies and samples of writings of others that I trust there are extensive notes.
You get an interesting trip down Memory Lane here as she describes the birth and death of the Equal Rights Amendment, which expired on June 30, 1982.
So, how should you read this in 2023? First, keep your head and your civility. If you can do that, you’re lightyears ahead of some 98 percent of those who read this review. Look at it for the snapshot that it was and the history it preserved as told from the perspective of a female conservative author. If your personal views lean somewhat toward hers, you may see things in 2023 that this book glimpsed. If your perspective differs from O’Beirne’s, you’ll still find the signposts that spell out division among us when she wrote this, and you’ll see how those paths merged into the increasingly divisive paths of our day.
July 10, 2016
Realistic and very enlightening! The senior editor of Washington Review magazine presents counterarguments against the modern feminism without dogma, but mere facts and solid research. Well read and well rounded, O'Beirne shows the negative effects of contemporary feminism on society. As a fellow anti feminist, there is not a single statement she makes that can be open for debate or that I can challenge. It is true women are the nurturers and caregivers of their children therefore their children should not be left in the possibly unreliable care of a daycare worker. Unfortunately, feminists have attacked women for maintaining this belief, leaving them feeling ashamed and undervalued. Moreover, we can't ignore that feminists translate equality between the sexes as sameness. No, the truth is we are different, and therefore we will be treated differently. For instance, women should not enlist themselves in the army neither is the job as a prison guard in a MALE prison fit for them. They are not equipped to maintain control over those hefty and violent felons. Overall, women are not oppressed. In fact, they have been given many choices to make. And they are responsible for the results of their own choices.
January 21, 2017
What did I learn from this book? The reader is told that feminists are arguing that education is against young girls, being a mother and housewife is oppressive to women by the patriarchal society, boys and men playing sports allows aggression in men to enter the home and public, and that women have no protection in the workplace or university. Men are evil, have too much power, and make more money than women doing the same job.
What Kate O'Beirne does in this book is provide names, dates, and events in where feminism not only provide their helping hands toward women, but also exposes lies, threats, and intimidation for not choosing their point of view. She cites numerous experts who provide in detail how feminism, although started in a fight for equality with men, transcended into male-bashing and feeling threatened by an ideology that society is run entirely by men and are trying to keep women in their place.
What Kate O'Beirne does in this book is provide names, dates, and events in where feminism not only provide their helping hands toward women, but also exposes lies, threats, and intimidation for not choosing their point of view. She cites numerous experts who provide in detail how feminism, although started in a fight for equality with men, transcended into male-bashing and feeling threatened by an ideology that society is run entirely by men and are trying to keep women in their place.
July 1, 2014
At first I was mad at this book because of the title - because women don't make the world worse. But then I read a little and realized it was by a woman and it's against feminism, not women in general. I don't completely agree with everything in the book, but I'm definitely more with the author than the feminists. I'm sorry feminist ladies, but God made us different, not same. I don't want to be treated like a man. Some of those women, I just want to punch in the face. Sigh. No one likes them. Why do we put up with them?
PS I don't need an answer to that question. Especially from someone who wants to yell about how I owe everything to those women for getting us the vote and liberating us. Blah blah blah. To those responses, I say "thanks" sarcastically and then I stick my tongue out.
PS I don't need an answer to that question. Especially from someone who wants to yell about how I owe everything to those women for getting us the vote and liberating us. Blah blah blah. To those responses, I say "thanks" sarcastically and then I stick my tongue out.
October 9, 2008
I enjoyed this book for the most part. Sometimes I got lost in quotes and stats. It was really interesting though.
July 22, 2008
Great look at the real effects of radical feminism on our society.
February 11, 2018
You know how sometimes you have to sit and grit your teeth while you listen to someone say something that you know is wrong? That's what reading this book is like.
You can't call feminists shrill to demonstrate they are wrong. You can't call anything feminists do agitprop to demonstrate they are wrong. You can't call anything driven by feminists an agenda to demonstrate they are wrong. You can't call the feminists you dislike warriors to demonstrate they are wrong. And with that, there goes 90% of the foundation of the book's argumentation (if I can even use that word).
This book uses the words "self-fulfillment and personal autonomy" to demonstrate something negative. Those things are for men, silly.
I want the words "Just because it's illegal, doesn't mean it doesn't happen" on my tombstone for anytime discrimination in pay comes up.
A decent chunk of the book is the author talking about choices "women freely make" because unless there is literally a law that says "No women allowed", there's no discrimination. And even then, as argued in the book in two different sections, it might just be acceptable discrimination to have a law that says "No women allowed".
"They allege, 'Nearly one in three high-school-age women experience some type of abuse-whether physical, sexual or psychological-in their dating relationships.' 'Psychological'? That ridiculously expansive definition of 'abuse' could apply to all teenage dating relationships"
Has the author never heard of psychological abuse before? Perhaps it should be concerning that psychological abuse could apply to all teenage dating relationships...
"Feminists believe today's running back is tomorrow's rapist."
I gotchu, girl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGrL3...
"The celebration of the number of American women in the quest for gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics is a classic example of feminists' scoring points at the expense of men in their drive to ensure equal outcomes despite obvious sex differences."
Speaking as someone whose sister is a literal two-time Olympian, boy, does she have no idea how Olympic teams are formed.
"It doesn't help to have them look like us-and act like them."
That's a Steinem quote, for the record (and a good one at that).
"Every 38 seconds in America a woman lays her body down, feeling forced to choose abortion out of a lack of practical resources and emotional support. Abortion is a reflection that society has failed women. There is a better way."
There are like two people the world over who disagree with this. Believe it or not, most feminists don't "want" women to have abortions; they want women to have the option. But unfortunately conservatives aren't offering up practical resources and emotional support for the women who don't want abortions, but get them out of necessity.
"Gustav Le Bon would have been smugly satisfied to witness Professor Hopkin's emotional, irrational reaction to an academic discussion. A hundred years ago, he argued that female inferiority 'was so obvious that no one can contest it for a minute.' An obstetrics textbook popular in Le Bon's day stated, 'A woman has a head too small for intellect but just big enough for love.' In the nineteenth century, recognized differences between the sexes persuaded observers that women were an inferior version of the species and were wrongly used to deny talented women an equal opportunity to pursue their ambitions. Now, these undeniable differences explain why the unparalleled equal opportunity American women enjoy cannot reasonably be expected to achieve a sex-blind sameness in parental roles, or in academic interests and achievement, or in employment, sports, or sex."
Got that, ladies? Our undeniable differences explain why we will forever be inferior to men in parental roles, academic interests and achievements, employment, sports, or sex. Fuck off.
"Current surveys show that men care more about the attractiveness of a potential mate than women do, while women value resources in a mate twice as much as men do...A husband's infidelity doesn't threaten his wife's reproductive investment, while her promiscuity risks his investment in a child that is not his own."
A husband's infidelity threatens the amount of resources that would go to her child though.
The mind boggles.
You can't call feminists shrill to demonstrate they are wrong. You can't call anything feminists do agitprop to demonstrate they are wrong. You can't call anything driven by feminists an agenda to demonstrate they are wrong. You can't call the feminists you dislike warriors to demonstrate they are wrong. And with that, there goes 90% of the foundation of the book's argumentation (if I can even use that word).
This book uses the words "self-fulfillment and personal autonomy" to demonstrate something negative. Those things are for men, silly.
I want the words "Just because it's illegal, doesn't mean it doesn't happen" on my tombstone for anytime discrimination in pay comes up.
A decent chunk of the book is the author talking about choices "women freely make" because unless there is literally a law that says "No women allowed", there's no discrimination. And even then, as argued in the book in two different sections, it might just be acceptable discrimination to have a law that says "No women allowed".
"They allege, 'Nearly one in three high-school-age women experience some type of abuse-whether physical, sexual or psychological-in their dating relationships.' 'Psychological'? That ridiculously expansive definition of 'abuse' could apply to all teenage dating relationships"
Has the author never heard of psychological abuse before? Perhaps it should be concerning that psychological abuse could apply to all teenage dating relationships...
"Feminists believe today's running back is tomorrow's rapist."
I gotchu, girl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGrL3...
"The celebration of the number of American women in the quest for gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics is a classic example of feminists' scoring points at the expense of men in their drive to ensure equal outcomes despite obvious sex differences."
Speaking as someone whose sister is a literal two-time Olympian, boy, does she have no idea how Olympic teams are formed.
"It doesn't help to have them look like us-and act like them."
That's a Steinem quote, for the record (and a good one at that).
"Every 38 seconds in America a woman lays her body down, feeling forced to choose abortion out of a lack of practical resources and emotional support. Abortion is a reflection that society has failed women. There is a better way."
There are like two people the world over who disagree with this. Believe it or not, most feminists don't "want" women to have abortions; they want women to have the option. But unfortunately conservatives aren't offering up practical resources and emotional support for the women who don't want abortions, but get them out of necessity.
"Gustav Le Bon would have been smugly satisfied to witness Professor Hopkin's emotional, irrational reaction to an academic discussion. A hundred years ago, he argued that female inferiority 'was so obvious that no one can contest it for a minute.' An obstetrics textbook popular in Le Bon's day stated, 'A woman has a head too small for intellect but just big enough for love.' In the nineteenth century, recognized differences between the sexes persuaded observers that women were an inferior version of the species and were wrongly used to deny talented women an equal opportunity to pursue their ambitions. Now, these undeniable differences explain why the unparalleled equal opportunity American women enjoy cannot reasonably be expected to achieve a sex-blind sameness in parental roles, or in academic interests and achievement, or in employment, sports, or sex."
Got that, ladies? Our undeniable differences explain why we will forever be inferior to men in parental roles, academic interests and achievements, employment, sports, or sex. Fuck off.
"Current surveys show that men care more about the attractiveness of a potential mate than women do, while women value resources in a mate twice as much as men do...A husband's infidelity doesn't threaten his wife's reproductive investment, while her promiscuity risks his investment in a child that is not his own."
A husband's infidelity threatens the amount of resources that would go to her child though.
The mind boggles.
May 2, 2020
What a bunch of hooey. I just love when women who were raised in the upper class complain about those that were not. The ideas are so outdated that I thought the book must have been from the 70s but no it was published in 2005.
I wonder if the #MeToo wave has completely deflated her. By coincidence I am also watching Mrs. America on Hulu. Too much women against women crap for me.
I wonder if the #MeToo wave has completely deflated her. By coincidence I am also watching Mrs. America on Hulu. Too much women against women crap for me.
March 30, 2025
I personally enjoyed this read, I found it very entertaining and had some valid points that I agree with.
Great job and great read
Great job and great read
January 12, 2017
Kate O'Beirne is a Feminist. I read this to try and understand why some women hate feminists.
I am a feminist; my mother was a feminist; my grandmother was a feminist and a suffragette; my son and daughter are feminists. Oh yes, my husband of 45 years (yea, I got married as a teenager and not because I had to, because I wanted to be married to him) is a feminist and has has been for years. He realized that women in corporate America did not get the same opportunities he did - it was obvious to him. My mother stayed at home and was a housewife and hated it, my grandmother took in laundry, cleaned homes while her husband worked and grew a garden to help put food on the table during the great depression for their 5 children and she wanted to be home.
Real feminists believe that women deserve to make their own choices. No one forced me to work, I wanted a career. I also worked with my partner to run a home - it was a joint job.
The premise of this book is like so many other polarizing tomes on both sides of this argument. Your side is wrong, my side is right. A true feminist (male or female) will help all humans (women) achieve their true potential and not lock anyone into a box. Just the chapter on "spoiled sports - boys are benched" was strange. When I was in High School, the only sport for girls was cheer-leading and in a school of 2000 students - 600 girls tried out of 8 spots. I still wonder - what were the coaches/leaders/teachers thinking when they failed to find physical activity of these girls that wanted to participate? I would have loved to play basketball, run cross-country or been on a swim team but my Midwest school only had those for the boys.
One star, because just like my review here, the author gave an opinionated research project. And that said, Ms O'Beirne, you are a feminist. You have had the privilege of obtaining a career you would have been hard pressed to get on your talent alone 50 years ago. This is what feminists are about - having views but letting each of us have our own life - not a life that someone else says we should have! I don't want my granddaughters to have believe, like me that teaching/social work/nursing were the only careers for a good mother!
I am a feminist; my mother was a feminist; my grandmother was a feminist and a suffragette; my son and daughter are feminists. Oh yes, my husband of 45 years (yea, I got married as a teenager and not because I had to, because I wanted to be married to him) is a feminist and has has been for years. He realized that women in corporate America did not get the same opportunities he did - it was obvious to him. My mother stayed at home and was a housewife and hated it, my grandmother took in laundry, cleaned homes while her husband worked and grew a garden to help put food on the table during the great depression for their 5 children and she wanted to be home.
Real feminists believe that women deserve to make their own choices. No one forced me to work, I wanted a career. I also worked with my partner to run a home - it was a joint job.
The premise of this book is like so many other polarizing tomes on both sides of this argument. Your side is wrong, my side is right. A true feminist (male or female) will help all humans (women) achieve their true potential and not lock anyone into a box. Just the chapter on "spoiled sports - boys are benched" was strange. When I was in High School, the only sport for girls was cheer-leading and in a school of 2000 students - 600 girls tried out of 8 spots. I still wonder - what were the coaches/leaders/teachers thinking when they failed to find physical activity of these girls that wanted to participate? I would have loved to play basketball, run cross-country or been on a swim team but my Midwest school only had those for the boys.
One star, because just like my review here, the author gave an opinionated research project. And that said, Ms O'Beirne, you are a feminist. You have had the privilege of obtaining a career you would have been hard pressed to get on your talent alone 50 years ago. This is what feminists are about - having views but letting each of us have our own life - not a life that someone else says we should have! I don't want my granddaughters to have believe, like me that teaching/social work/nursing were the only careers for a good mother!
March 15, 2014
A par for the course book, but a pleasingly funny and clever factual refutation of radical feminism. As the author proves repeatedly, women who try to legally enforce their androgynous fantasies find themselves squaring off against Mother Nature herself, and, as the author puts it in her conclusion: "Mother Nature is a bitch."
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January 4, 2016Kind of dull reading. Worthwhile to figure out why we are where we are now.
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