There is often perceived to be a backlash against feminism in U.S. politics and public media.
Politics
After the great successes of the women’s liberation movement, a backlash against the “second wave” of feminism began during the 1970s. Social historians and feminist theorists see the beginning of the political backlash against feminism in several different events:
- The volatile political climate surrounding the effort to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
- The anti-feminist groups who attacked the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision
- The election of Ronald Reagan
- The rise of Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority organization
Media
There is also a backlash against feminism found in the media:
- In declarations that feminism is dead
- In the description of the 1980s and beyond as “post-feminist”
- In the narrative that treats feminism as a movement of the past rather than a still evolving force
- In the accepted use of stereotypes of feminist women, and of women in general
Feminists point out that in the late 1800s and early 1900s, powerful voices also tried to sweep “first wave” feminism out of the public’s awareness.
The Susan Faludi Book
Susan Faludi’s book Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women was published in 1991. It debunks the prevailing narrative that women are now fully equal and unhappy because of it. She argues instead that women have not yet achieved equality, and the pressure to stop the fight for equality is what makes women unhappy.