Sexism in America : alive, well, and ruining our future / Barbara J. Berg.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 399-405) and index.

Introduction: Inequality-the new normal -- 1. The awakening of American women -- 2. Feminism takes flight -- 3. Gender roles under fire -- 4. Do not bend, fold, spindle, or mutilate -- 5. Reagan and the great reality check -- 6. Welfare queens, Herculean women, and sex-starved stalkers -- 7. The mixed bag of Bill Clinton -- 8. Bushwinked to bushwhacked -- 9. 9/11 and women -- 10. 9/11 and men -- 11. Military madness -- 12. Starve the beast, sink the nation -- 13. Bodily harm -- 14. Birth-control activists, please phone home -- 15. Trouble@edu -- 16. Campaign against working women -- 17. Mothers matter(s) -- 18. Unpopular culture -- 19. Missing at the multiplex -- 20. The disappearing girl -- 21. Toxic males and tarty females -- 22. Desperately seeking self -- 23. More than a few good women -- Conclusion: The change we need.

From the Publisher: The news in 2008 was that women had taken huge strides forward. Feminists' decades-long struggle finally seemed to be paying off, not only in boardrooms, classrooms, and kitchens but also at the very top-in presidential politics. But what is the truth behind the headlines? In Sexism in America: Alive, Well, and Ruining Our Future, renowned feminist author Barbara J. Berg debunks the many myths about how far women have come and the pervasive belief that ours is a post-feminist society. Combining authoritative research and compelling storytelling, Berg traces the assault on women's status from the 1950s-when Newsweek declared "for the American girl, books and babies don't mix"-to the present, exploring the deception about women's progress and contextualizing our current situation. All women are hurt by a society lauding their attributes in speeches while scorning them in public policy and popular culture, and the legacy of the women's movement is being short-circuited in every aspect of their lives. Passionate, extensively documented, humorous, and persuasive, Sexism in America is simultaneously enlightening, frightening, and revitalizing. Berg, an ardent optimist, helps women understand where they are and why and how they can move beyond the marginalizing strategies. It is exactly the right book at exactly the right time.