Faludi gives differing views on career women
Backlash:
The Undeclared War
Against American
Women
by
Susan Faludi
Crown Publishers, 1991
460 pages
Hardcover price S24
★ ★ ★ ★
• • • • • • • • • p*
In the mul 1 'Mill*., news l< a
lures adviie hooks .mil worn
cn •- health manuals hc(;,iii to
spread the word that career
wimtcn while Increasingly
mote xlltlessful 111 the WUtk
p ; ,ii e, weie .(( I o.i i; V s;,Ifri i lig
I!', then private lives
Several mental health studies
ptoi I.limed a list’ ill depf. -sioll
cases among hativ Imom aged
women Therapists and |ourruil
is(s (ion (.ime up witii an ex
pi.illation women's litu-ra
turn The theory claimed that
without the feminist move
merit. women would still he at
home vv ilh their ( hilrlren. feel
Itig healthier and ( aimer
Bui when l Vi ill Sltii'l louni.il
reporter Susan Faludi un- • ti
gated the claim fur h«r nm
bonk It.iikl.ish I hi' I nilri lorn I
U'ar Anulnsl Antrnran Wimirn
She discovered il misrepresent
i’ll women’s lives
In fact. I aludi found .1 study
which proclaimed it was poor
employment rather than satisk
mg work that was the leading
cause of mental distress among
single women Whether they
.ire professional or blue-collar
workers, working women expo
nonce less depression than
housewives and the more 1 h.sl
longing the career tin better
their mental and physu ,d
health, she writes
A Pulitzer I'v,/ winner
I aludi s I'M client .reporting
skills pro'. Ie 1 gripping a<
i mini of '.in ; t-s ! im mak
ers and I ole-er V ail Vi • apji .l ent
attempts to squelch the worn
on's movement utu arid Im
all
I aludi is not trying to assert
the existent e of a 1 mspirat V
Instead silt* saVs, He press
didn't set out with tins, or any
other intention, like any large
inslilutton, ils movements
.iten t premeditated or pro
griinimatu . just grossly sum opt
ible to the prevailing political
currents
Her thesis is. "this 1 outiler
assault Is largely insidious in a
kind ol pop-culture version of
tie- Big l ie, it stands the truth
boldly on its head and pro
claims lli.it tin- very steps that
have elevated women's posi
tion have actually led to their
downfall
Sound .1 little ■ xtrrmi'7 M.iv
In', but I Hindi's riietit ulouslv
dtx utnenltKl 400-plus page
iin.ilVM1 of 'in ii'iy s hat Mash
may prove to U ns-thought pro
yoking in this generation us
Hottv 1 riedan s Thi- I rminino
Mlstu/m was in tin totals
Just trad the evident e
Another media trend story
sin examines focused on Amer
it a s alleged man shortage The
■1‘IHIi As sot iilte l*o ■ dlstnhut
ed .storv yvhit.h hase.l its .find
logs on all unpublished liar
y ard Vale study , claimed that
yeomen who put s< pooling and
• art i ts ..before theit wedding
date are going to have a harder
time getting married
The study, whith was prill!
ed repeatedly doting the year,
asserted that ysorneti over lin
age of ill have only a *’0 per
i ent t hunt e of ever getting mat
tie.) 1 ' i , \en sty eek
evil (.homed ilia! a woman
over to had a better t hunt e ill
being shot b\ a terrorist than
finding a husband
| aludl diseoveted that the
jartsyyeri a bit different A sub
M ... : 1 l et.-.us Bureau study,
yvhu h : ■ : . r i 1 rtt le media at
teir .a; found errors in the re
... an r in. tti is o! the Harvard
and 'tale professors and re
. < ", : women over -to ai
tua-iy had a ~ t times better
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Whether they are
professional or
blue-collar
workers, working
women experience
less depression
than housewives,
and the more
challenging the
career, the better
their mental and
physical health.’
Susan Faludi,
.iuihi >r c>! Backlash The
Undeclared War Against
American Women
ha in i' of marriage than the
previous study had asserted
On TV. Faludi calls ihc*
i'W7-198« season "the tnck
,,e>h s high watermark Only
three ol !hi* new primetime
dramas featured iem.ile leads,
and iin Iv two vs ere adults
lahidi r ritlr i/es the film in
ilusir\ for producing too many
in in", like Ur irking Girl, in
whn h .in aspiring sei rotary
W ail a child's Voir e rises up the
tin s a jess ladder and gets the
man. hat she achieves both
goals try playing the daffy and
: . : ■ ' . ri t ! he Ixrok
i inn- out before Thelma and
/.riU/se )
Unfortunately, l-'atu<Ji's Ixmh
is not flawless She Winds to
leave out evidence that doesn't
prove her point l or example,
i uludi slums l'hirl\ something
for making Hope a homemaker
goddess, but she neglects to
mention that Hope Considers
leaving Michael in the last epi
sode
I-iiludi lists many examples
of films portraying women in a
negative light, but she doesn't
write about the female warrior
heroine in Alien or the strong
female lawyer in (.'/ass At lion
However, l-'aludi still.-makes
an intriguing i use Right here
on campus, "feminism'' is a
dirty word to riianv students
Women who dec hire they are
feminist are often labeled as
man-haters or complainers
.-yen when they are simply pro
moling equal rights in the
workplac e
At the very least, I'aludis
iiook should provide an excel
lent source ol topic s for discus
sion And maybe it will encour
age more women to see the
feminist movement as an im
portant part of the present rath
er than a phenomenon that
ended ill the l')7(ls
By Lisa Milieqan
Emerald As del fitor
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