Women's Figures

Reviews / Votes

From its insouciant title to its incisive reasoning, this volume is a devastating riposte to the feminist faction of the Great American Grievance Industry which, Diana Furchtgott-Roth's book demonstrates, has been battered by a storm of good news. -- George Will, winner of the Pulitzer Prize Women's Figures is a Herculean synthesis of the economic literature on woman's place in American society, circa 2012. That place is, for the most part, an enviable one, determined by freedom and personal choice. Unfortunately, the feminist lobby spends millions of dollars each year propping up myths and half-truths about women's alleged continuing second-class status. Diana Furchtgott-Roth politely, methodically, and persuasively knocks it all down-and supplies up-to-date charts, statistics, and interpretation on the wage gap, the glass ceiling, the "feminization of poverty," and much else. The new, reality-based feminism starts here. -- Christina Hoff Sommers, author of Who Stole Feminism? and The War Against Boys Diana Furchtgott-Roth has authored an important and accessible study which delves into the
issue of gender equity and fairness in the workplace. Her encouraging conclusion-that women don't need special treatment to get ahead-is plainly common sense now and yet provocative as it challenges some pervasive media assumptions and political agendas. This volume should be required reading for anyone concerned about fair wages and a competitive American workforce in the 21st century economy. -- Hon. Elaine L. Chao, U.S. Secretary of Labor 2001-2009 Gender Studies teachers who fail to include this classic in the syllabus fail their students, male and female. -- Amity Shlaes, author Furchtgott-Roth (Manhattan Institute for Policy Research) has fully updated the first edition of this book, originally published in 1999. She is well versed in the interpretation of labor market, education, and demographic statistics from economic policy stints under the Reagan and both Bush administrations. The statistics presented can be interpreted either as clear evidence of women's increased ability to make career and family choices freely, or as evidence of continuing discrimination against women operating in an era of constrained choice. Depending on one's point of view, this book can be seen either as a valuable counterweight to a feminist-dominated gender policy agenda, or as another conservative sally in the ongoing US class conflict. Furchtgott-Roth argues that various gender-oriented policies, including affirmative action, actually undermine women's successes. She also attacks the Obama health care initiative for undermining marriage, as its proposed health insurance subsidies will be greater per capita for single people than for married people with similar per capita incomes. A closing chapter documents the internal finances of a number of feminist organizations, albeit with no comparison figures for other lobbying or nonprofit groups. This book would be valuable in a course on critical thinking that provides counterweight from other sources. Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduate students and general readers. * CHOICE *