Backlash Against Feminism

Abstract

Backlash is a reaction to real or perceived change, leaving progressives worse off by catalyzing conservatives to oppose change by changing their opinions to be more negative, holding opposing views more deeply, or taking action, including violence, when they would not have otherwise. The claim that progressive social change has been counterproductive is an empirical one, but too often those diagnosing backlash fail to distinguish what is truly a measurable setback from the fierce countermobilization of preexisting opponents who are losing ground. Progressives themselves have famously warned against using courts in particular to advance the causes of civil rights, gender equality, or gay rights, yet careful examination reveals no regression in response to legal progress. Once we complicate a simple linear understanding of progress, think about gender inequality intersectionally, and add an analysis of discursive countermobilizations to simple empirical measures of progress, we must conclude the implicit baggage the concept carries outweighs its usefulness.