“Women are from Venus, men are from Hell” – these were the words used by Christina Hoff Sommers, moderating a Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute panel, to describe the sort of ‘textbooks’ she was required to teach from as a college philosophy professor. A self-confessed former liberal, Sommers began the conversion to more conservative ideas after being “excommunicated” from the feminist movement for attempting to balance the coursework in her classes. By offering her students some alternatives to radical feminism, Sommers put herself squarely in the cross hairs of the single-minded mentality of the Left. This is an all-too-familiar experience for conservative students speaking out on their college campuses but, according to Sommers, the tide is changing. The veil is being lifted on the liberal feminist lies and conservative women are leading the fight.
Sommers was joined by Hudson Institute senior fellow economist Diana Furchtgott-Roth, healthcare expert and Galen Institute president Grace-Marie Turner, and National Review Online editor Kathryn Jean Lopez, whose recent article inspired this panel entitled “Freedom from Feminism.”
The panelists spoke at length on their areas of expertise and shed light on how feminist ideals and policies are failing today’s women. Kathryn Jean Lopez discussed the importance of pro-abortion policy to feminists and noted how Sarah Palin’s pro-life stance shattered the myth that the pro-life conservative woman did not exist. The simple fact that Palin was conservative and pro-life sent liberal feminists into fits of fury. Here was a woman that had a beautiful family, an education, a wonderful husband, and an important public office –everything that early feminists fought for women to have – and her achievements were ignored purely because of her conservatism and pro-life beliefs.
Women like Palin, and others, pose serious threats to radical feminists because, as Lopez discussed, women across the country could relate to her in ways that they could not relate to liberals such as Hilary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi. “Something big and real is going on,” said Lopez, a “new sexual revolution is occurring” and it is being led by conservative women.
Diana Furchtgott-Roth added to the discussion by elaborating upon the damage that economic policies supported by these feminists actually hurt women instead of helping them and the economy. Legislation and programs like Affirmative Action, which sets quotas for women employees, hinder job creation and slow the growth of the economy. Furchtgott-Roth also spoke to the effects of the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Dodd-Frank Act on the inclusion of women in the workplace. She compared conservative and liberal ideas of feminism as “equality of opportunity versus equality of outcomes” with liberals being more concerned about details like equal pay, mandatory maternity leave, and Affirmative Action quotas rather than the equality of opportunity for women to enter the workforce of their own accord and talents.
Healthcare expert Grace-Marie Turner focused on how feminist-supported healthcare policies have put today’s young people in the cross hairs by jeopardizing their futures. Turner emphasized that as the main family budget and healthcare managers, women need to take the lead on healthcare issues.
It has become clear that formerly unquestioned radical feminist ideas are being shattered by the failure of liberal policies and the rise of strong conservative women leaders. For the first time, American women have found truly remarkable role models in leaders like Sarah Palin who have achieved success in their own right without the help of the government, something that radical feminists have said could not be done. Young women are beginning to cease regarding government as their “Mr. Right” and, instead, questioning liberal feminism and its claims that women’s successes cannot be attained without government help.
The event was held at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington, DC, on Thursday, June 30, 2011.
posted by Catherine Helsley
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