What's Wrong and What's Right with Contemporary Feminism?

Resident Scholar Christina Hoff Sommers
Resident Scholar
Christina Hoff Sommers
For the past two decades I have devoted myself to studying the influence of feminism on American culture--with a special focus on campus feminism. In the next 35-40 minutes I'll give you the best information I have on this topic. But, of course, information is never the whole story; I have a point of view and you'll hear about that as well.

This evening I will be arguing that contemporary feminism has taken a wrong turn. In my view, the noble cause of women's emancipation is being damaged in at least three ways by the contemporary women's movement. First, today's movement takes a very dim view of men; second, it wildly overstates the victim status of American women; and third, it is dogmatically attached to the view that men and women are essentially the same. In the time I have with you, I will try to explain and justify these criticisms, and conclude by offering what I think is a reasonable and humane alternative to current feminism. I will also extend an olive branch to the feminists I criticize. But first a few words about my background. . . .

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Christina Hoff Sommers is a resident scholar at AEI.

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About the Author

 

Christina Hoff
Sommers
  • Christina Hoff Sommers, a former philosophy professor who taught ethics, is probably best known for her critique of late-twentieth-century feminism. She is also known for her extensive writings, among them Who Stole Feminism? (Touchstone Books, 1995), The War Against Boys (Touchstone Books, 2001), One Nation Under Therapy (St. Martin's Press, 2005), and The Science on Women and Science (AEI Press, 2009). Her textbook, Vice and Virtue in Everyday Life, a bestseller in college ethics, is currently in its ninth edition. Her new book Freedom Feminism—Its Surprising History and Why it Matters Today will be published in spring 2013 by AEI Press. A new and revised version of The War Against Boys: How Misguided Policies Are Harming our Young Men will be out in August 2013 (Simon and Schuster).
  • Phone: 2028627180
    Email: sommers22@gmail.com
  • Assistant Info

    Name: Caroline Kitchens
    Phone: 2028625820
    Email: Caroline.Kitchens@aei.org

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