Sexism In America Summary

Summary In her book, Sexism in America: Alive, Well, and Ruining Our Future, feminist author Barbara J. Berg, Ph.D, addresses the common problems that most women are faced with on a daily basis. Berg, drawing from her own experiences as well as testimonies from other women, wrote on many topics regarding the sexism that occurs in America every day. Chapters focus on issues like media representation, birth control, women in the workplace, mothers, military women, and gender roles, to name a few. Berg chronicles women’s issues from the 1950s, displaying the systematic oppression in a well-researched, passionate, and persuasive way. In chapter four, titled “Do Not Bend, Fold, Spindle, or Mutilate” (41-52), Berg focuses primarily on the topic of women’s bodies and birth control, and who had the rights over women’s bodies. The title of the chapter means “‘. . . [t]reat our bodies with care’” (41). The birth control pill was created in 1957, and it gave the women of that time more freedom to embrace sex as “pleasurable, fun and [free] from worry” (44). Before this, it had been a major problem for women to become pregnant outside of marriage, as singer Joni Mitchell was quoted saying “A daughter could do nothing more disgraceful” (43) than to have a child while being unwed. Now, women could enjoy it while not having to be afraid of a child out of wedlock. Berg also writes on rape and the problems surrounding rape culture. She mentions the “classic humiliating treatment given rape victims” (47) by the police, who tried to make it look as though the women were asking for it, flirting or seducing. They were made out to be the “bad guy” as opposed the victim of the harrowing situation. This aspect prevented—and still prevents—many women from reporting their rape or molestation, because the culture surrounding most rape is very patriarchal. It was through “noisy, controversial battles” and “many far smaller and quieter [battles]” (52) that the beginning of change occurred regarding birth and women’s bodies. Reaction Paper Everything I read in Sexism in America: Alive, Well, and Ruining Our Future seemed to make perfect sense to me, it made me want to do something more to support women and our constant fight to find equality in not only America, but the entire world. I am already a feminist, but reading and watching feminist books and media is always an eye-opener for me. Berg wrote about rape culture in “Do Not Bend, Fold, Spindle, or Mutilate,” which I think is very relevant, today and in the past. …show more content…
Rape victims are still silenced by the system, they are degraded, humiliated and not taken seriously. Many men and women are afraid to report rape because they are afraid of being disregarded. If changed, the crime of rape might be lessened, because it is my belief that rapists trust that the government’s patriarchal system is on their side, protecting them. Even if all rape cases were taken seriously and actions were taken against rapists, the crime would still occur, as all crimes do, but it might be a safer place for victims, if they knew they had the government fully on their side. Women’s bodies are their own, though many people struggle to believe that. Even now, girls are raised with the premonition that they may not