Liberte, Egalite, Sororite

Not so long ago, it was possible for women, particularly young women, to share in the popular illusion that we were living in a postfeminist moment. Many women believed we had access to the same opportunities and experiences as men8230; should we choose to take advantage of them and, increasingly, we just might not. There was, of course, the occasional gender-based slight to contend with, but to get worked up over these things seemed pointlessly symbolic, humourless, the purview of women8217;s-studies types. Then Hillary Clinton declared her candidacy, and the sexism in America, long lying dormant8230; yawned and revealed itself. Even those of us who didn8217;t usually concern ourselves with gender-centric matters began to realise that when it comes to women, we are not post-anything.

It was hardly a revelation to learn that sexism lived in the minds and hearts of right-wing crackpots and internet nut-jobs, but it was something of a surprise to discover it flourished among members of the news media.

Any woman who has spent time in the workforce likely understands what a powerful, defining force gender can be. 8220;We used to have a saying in the women8217;s movement,8221; says Leslie Bennetts, author of The Feminine Mistake. 8220;It takes life to make a feminist.8221; The real divide among women of voting age is between those who have encountered gender-based hurdles and affronts and those who have not: between women in their twenties and women who have worked at a job where something is at stake.

Excerpted from Amanda Fortini8217;s 8216;The Feminist Reawakening8217; in the latest New York Magazine