About the Book
Antifeminism in cultural context To give today's readers an understanding of the social and political forces that actively fought against any changes in women's status in the United States, the editors selected these original examples from the writings of the time that appeared in popular books and magazines. Opponents of women's equality frequently voiced their opinions about 19th-century issues of women's suffrage, dress reform, self-expression, independence, and other topics that touched upon the perceived roles and duties of women. Such public diatribes continued into the 10th century as determined antifeminists argued against increased opportunities for women in employment and education, denied the propriety of family planning, and admonished against women's involvement in politics. Arguments based on ridicule, natural law, and false claims Some opponents merely dismissed or ridiculed calls for changes in women's status, without specifying particular flaws in the feminist position. Others cited divine ordination, applied to natural law, and fanned public fears of familial and social disintegration. Frequently these critics resorted to charges of presumed lesbianism, communism, and socialism against advocates of women's rights and against the movement itself. This adamant opposition to equality for women was a manifestation of common apprehension about ongoing social, economic, and political changes beyond antifeminist control. Antifeminists in their own words Today few people have even an inkling of the vehemence, theatrical posturing, and convoluted reasoning of the antifeminist forces. This varied selection of original sources puts an illuminating spotlight on the arguments presented by opponents of women's equality that is drawn from an extensive body of writings, ranging from the elegant pronouncements of a popular politician to sincere endorsements of the status quo by female apologists for those opposed to the women's movement, to purveyors of low satire in the popular press. For modern readers, this collection provides the opportunity to encounter directly the reasoning, opinions, and perceptions of those that resisted and criticized the goals and achievements of feminism. A valuable resource for many disciplines. A particularly valuable feature of this set is its wealth of primary source material from the 19th and early 20th centuries, including material from books and newspapers. Very few libraries have collected these sources and chances are no single collection has them all. These volumes are of great interest to women's studies, women's history, gender studies, cultural studies, as well as history, political science, sociology, and literature. Many of the examples of antifeminist writing found in the set can enrich classroom discussions and assignments that involve communication, writing, and rhetoric. Available individually by volume 1. Opposition to the Women's Movement in the United States, 1848-1929 (0-8153-2713-7) 400 pages 2. Redefining the New Woman, 1920-1963 (0-8153-2714-5) 344 pages 3. Reaction to the Modern Women's Movement, 1963 to the Present (0-8153-2715-3) 352 pages
Table of Contents:
Series Introduction, Volume Introduction, Has It Made Any Difference?, The Employment of Wives, Dominance, and Fertility, Sex Unwanted, The Abortion Debate, Excerpts from Sexual Suicide, Excerpts from The Total Woman, Lord, Teach Me to Submit, Class and Racial Divisions in the Female Population: Some Practical and Political Dilemmas for the Women's Movement, Excerpts from The Power of the Positive Woman, The Economics of Middle-Income Family Life: Working Women During the Great Depression, Hobbesian Choice: Feminists Against the Family, The Feminist Movement, The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Feminism, Who Is the New Traditional Woman?, The Feminist Mistake: Sexual Equality and the Decline of the American Military, Working Women: How It's Working Out, The International Patriarchy, Why Can't a Woman Be More Like a Woman?, Women Working and Divorce: Cause or Effect?, The Perceived Control of Well-Educated Women: 1972-1984, Antisociality and Dangerousness in Women Before and After the Women's Movement, Feminism and Modern Friendship: Dislocating the Community, Pages from a Gender Diary: Basic Divisions in Feminism, Against Feminist Fundamentalism, The Failure of Feminism, Wrong on Rape: Neither Naming Rape Victims Against Their Will, Nor Broadening the Definition of Rape to Include Seduction, Helps the Cause of Feminism, Perplexed by Sex?, Feminism and Anorectic Tendencies in College Women, Love and Trouble, From Separate Spheres to Dangerous Streets: Postmodernist Feminism and the Problem of Order, Cultural Assault: What Feminists Are Doing to Rape Ought to Be A Crime, Why I Am Not a Feminist: Some Remarks on the Problem of Gender Identity in the United States and Poland, A Progressive Movement Holding Sexuality Hostage, Acknowledgments
About the Author :
Angela Howard-Zophy, Associate Professor of History and Women's Studies at the University of Houston Clear Lake, is editor of the award-winning Handbook of AmericanWomen's History(Garland, 1990). She holds a Ph.D. degree in history from Ohio State University, and is the editor of the Garland series: The Development of AmericanFeminism as well as Directories of Minority Women, and is the author of numerous articles, book chapters, and essays.
Sasha Rana Adams Tarrant assisted editorially with the revised edition of the Handbook ofAmerican Women's History, as well as contributed the entry on antifeminism to the volume. She holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in history from the University of Houston Clear Lake, and is currently completing her doctorate in U.S. and women's history at Texas A. & M. University.
