“Feminism embodies the belief in the equality of women.”
—Lyn Cockburn,
Toronto Sun, March 18, 1999.

“Feminism has caused a lot of suffering for a great many ... women.”
—Anita Blair,
Insight, November 24, 1997.

In the early 1960s, a woman looking for a job would open her newspaper to find two lists of employment advertisements: one for men, and another for women. Not surprisingly, the jobs available to men were challenging positions with potential for advancement, while those available to women were typically low-paying and involved mundane clerical tasks. Regardless of their education or abilities, women were systematically excluded from opportunities in the workplace. Those women who did establish careers were often paid less than men—an estimated 51 cents per dollar—for the same work.

Today, as a direct result of the women’s liberation movement of the 1960s—which urged the passage of...