Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women
Encyclopedia
Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women is the title of a 1991 nonfiction book by Pulitzer Prize
winner Susan Faludi
, which argues for the existence of a media driven "backlash" against the feminist advances of the 1970s. Faludi argues that this backlash posits the women's liberation movement as the source of many of the problems alleged to be plaguing women in the late 1980s.
She also argues that many of these problems are illusory, constructed by the media without reliable evidence. According to Faludi, the backlash is also a historical trend, generally recurring when it appears that women have made substantial gains in their efforts to obtain equal rights. The book won the National Book Critics Circle Award
for non-fiction in 1991.
A 15th anniversary edition (ISBN 0307345424) of the book was released in 2006.
was critical of the book, claiming it was an example of rampant and baseless speculation. In "Why Speculate? A Talk At The International Leadership Forum, La Jolla, California, April 26, 2002" he stated that it "presented hundreds of pages of quasi-statistical assertions based on a premise that was never demonstrated and that was almost certainly false".
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winner Susan Faludi
Susan Faludi
Susan C. Faludi is an American feminist, journalist and author. She won a Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism in 1991, for a report on the leveraged buyout of Safeway Stores, Inc., a report that the Pulitzer Prize committee thought showed the "human costs of high finance".-Biographical...
, which argues for the existence of a media driven "backlash" against the feminist advances of the 1970s. Faludi argues that this backlash posits the women's liberation movement as the source of many of the problems alleged to be plaguing women in the late 1980s.
She also argues that many of these problems are illusory, constructed by the media without reliable evidence. According to Faludi, the backlash is also a historical trend, generally recurring when it appears that women have made substantial gains in their efforts to obtain equal rights. The book won the National Book Critics Circle Award
National Book Critics Circle Award
The National Book Critics Circle Award is an annual award given by the National Book Critics Circle to promote the finest books and reviews published in English....
for non-fiction in 1991.
A 15th anniversary edition (ISBN 0307345424) of the book was released in 2006.
Criticism
Author Michael CrichtonMichael Crichton
John Michael Crichton , best known as Michael Crichton, was an American best-selling author, producer, director, and screenwriter, best known for his work in the science fiction, medical fiction, and thriller genres. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and many have been adapted...
was critical of the book, claiming it was an example of rampant and baseless speculation. In "Why Speculate? A Talk At The International Leadership Forum, La Jolla, California, April 26, 2002" he stated that it "presented hundreds of pages of quasi-statistical assertions based on a premise that was never demonstrated and that was almost certainly false".