Interview: Barbara Berg and Sexism in America

We interviewed author Barbara Berg, whose book Sexism in America: Alive, Well, and Ruining Our Future is taking the feminist world by storm.

Why write this book at this time?

I began working on this book 3 years ago. Back then the notion that we were a post feminist society was pretty well entrenched in the American psyche, but I’d started noticing certain troubling signs: young women getting fired when they became pregnant; a hypersexualized popular culture; women's voices disappearing from the media, a redo of what we first saw in the wake of 9/11. Then I was at a party where a group of women began to talk about their lives: sexual harassment on the college campus, not advancing in their jobs as fast as their male counterparts, unequal relationships within their marriages... It started to feel like a consciousness raising group of the 1970s. I began to do research to see if these were isolated concerns or endemic to our society. What I discovered really surprised me: the inheritance of feminism was being short circuited in every aspect of our lives. Sexism had returned like the Comeback Kid.

To those of us who work on these issues, it's clear that sexism is alive and well. In the larger society there's a resistance to recognizing the continuing strength of sexism. Why do you feel this is, and how do we work to counteract that?

Change is always hard to achieve. For those in power there’s a self interest in not recognizing sexism. And we’ve been all fed the myth of post feminism for over 30 years. In addition, the media would rather promote bogus stories about the so-called Mommy Wars and turn women against one another than cover the important issues confronting us all. Then, too, the term feminism has fallen on hard times, again by a media all too often eager to detract from the achievements of the second wave of the women’s movement. We can and are working to counteract sexism by using every opportunity we have to expose it and engage in positive action to remedy it.

How do you see sexism as having adapted itself to our changing society, and in what ways does that kind of adaptation make sexism harder to call out?

It has adapted because in many ways it has become more insidious. People will say to me: “How can you talk about sexism when Hillary almost achieved the nomination for President and Sarah Palin had the number 2 spot on the Republican ticket?” But just as we wouldn’t say that Barack Obama’s election obliterated racial discrimination in America, neither should the success of a few women at the top blind us to the reality of sexism. It does, however, make it harder for us to identify. The fact is that although women are well represented in many professions and trades, we’re still clumped together in the lower-level positions. Most women in America still work in pink collar jobs and even with the gains of the 2008 election the US is 58th in the world in women’s representation in government...

Another point is that our whole pop culture is infused with sexism; we are inundated with sexist messages everywhere we turn, advertising, movies, TV, video games and Celeb Culture so it’s harder to isolate and name. And riskier…because we feel we don’t have a movement to support us.

Back in 1986 you wrote, The Crisis of the Working Mother: Resolving the Conflict Between Family and Work. Where do you feel we've made progress on issues of work/life balance, and what do we still have to accomplish?

Unfortunately we still have a great deal to accomplish. In many ways our policies are still carry-overs from the New Deal era when it was expected that men be bread earners and women be the bread bakers. Back then the mantra was: “Don’t steal a job from a man.” But now women are poised to make up the bulk of the workforce. It’s time to change our outmoded ways. The US is the only industrialized nation without paid maternity leave; unlike some 145 other countries we do not mandate sick leave for employees for themselves or when their children are sick; we have very little government supported childcare, it is almost all in the hands of the private non-regulated sector and although our infant mortality rate is an appalling 37th in the world and the American Academy of Pediatrics urges women to nurse for a full year if possible to have healthier babies, unlike some 107 other countries we do not protect a woman’s right to pump breast milk at work. We have very little flextime or job sharing.

But on a more positive note, more husbands and partners are pitching in with childcare and home responsibilities than in the 1980s and of course technology has made telecommuting a real possibility for many workers.

Why start off with chapters on the history of the women's movement, when your focus is on the state of women and sexism today?

When I did my online survey and other interviews for this book so many women confessed to not knowing our past or our rights I decided to begin my book in the 1950s. Also, in order to appreciate the rights we’ve lost over the past decade, it’s important to understand the rights we gained in the 1970 and 80s. And additionally, I think it’s inspiring to know about the struggles that have gone on before and the women who put so much effort and so much on the line to work for gender equality.

It's always difficult to call out a friend, family member, or coworker on something like sexist language or behavior. How does one handle that effectively, in a situation where you need to maintain the relationship without accepting the behavior?

I think it’s best to stay calm and keep your voice neutral and say something like, “ I’m sure that you didn’t mean this… or you may not appreciate how your language or behavior comes across, but I find it ( demeaning, sexist, insulting etc). Can we talk about it? (Writing down what you want to say before hand and practicing in front of a mirror or friend can be helpful) Always listen; always be ready to engage in a dialogue, but resist backing down from your points, that’s the only way we can bring about change on an individual level.

How do we maintain the energy and hope to keep working on these issues, when it seems like for all the progress we've made, it's two steps forward, one step back?

Sometimes it does seem hard to muster the energy, but every great movement for social change: labor, civil rights, women’s movement, gay rights have come about because of a gathering of progressive people committed to reform, to furthering freedom. And look at all we’ve achieved! As an historian I find it helpful to think about the women of the nineteenth century and how hard they fought for basic rights such as education, employment, the vote. When I’m discouraged their struggles sustain me. And as I tour college campuses and speak about sexism with young people I’m very hopeful. They all can imagine a more equitable world than the one they’re living in and are ready to work for it.

Comments

[Graciela]

Unfortunately, the myth of post-feminism was also fed by the media and politicians of different stripes during the past presidential election. Demeaning and misogynistic comments against both Hillary and Sarah Palin shamelessly took place without much of a public reaction.

As a women's organization, we should remain independent from political parties and politicians by speaking with our own voice, thinking critically at all times,and pushing elected representatives and presidents (whoever they may be)to pursue and accomplish goals that validate the rights of women. Politicians are not leaders of movements, we, the people, are.

[CA NOW]

If you look at our election coverage, you'll find that California NOW was adamant about speaking out against sexism directed at Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. We speak up for women against sexism regardless of whether we agree on political issues. Just as we have spoken up against the sexism that was directed at Carrie Prejean, even as we also decried her views on Marriage Equality.

We are always pushing for progress for women and girls at every level of society, which means supporting progressive politicians (women & men), progressive legislation, and progressive policies in employment, education, and other areas of life.

While we recognize that many of the necessary changes of society towards justice take place incrementally, we believe in working towards our ultimate goal of a fair and equitable society in that process.

[Graciela]

Thank you for your feedback. In reviewing my comment I realized how it may be interpreted as a subtle criticism of NOW for not having spoken up enough against sexism during the past election. But that is not what I meant. My criticism was focused on the use of the "post-feminism" mantra by not only conservative but also self-described progressive politicians.

As a member of NOW, I agree with its philosophy and all the goals as described in your comment. However, I disagree on the need to support, or much less endorse, politicians unless they have consistently shown by their actions a commitment to push for progresive policies that advance the cause of equality for women and other oppressed groups.

Thank you again for the opportunity to express my views.