There are many who would agree with Faludi’s observation that there is a vast generational divide in the women’s movement, characterized by discord bordering on rancor. It is a gap further exacerbated by the diversity of women and their lived experiences.
The past few years have been a particularly heady time for discussion of women’s advancement—or lack thereof—in American society. That discussion also has given rise to an important parallel conversation about who American women are, who speaks in their name, and whose perspectives and experiences dominate their storyline. The need to confront such issues of voice and identity has been especially glaring in talk and writing about women’s leadership, which tend to focus on individual women and their private pathways to power and leave less empowered women out in the cold. That’s a real shame.
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