Disclaimer: I encourage you to read or listen to this piece to come to your own conclusions.
While doomscrolling, as one does, I stumbled across a rather interesting video calling out the New York Times for a recent opinion piece. Obviously, I investigated what had so many people upset and was astounded to find that the piece that addressed ideas of conservatism, wokeness, the anti-(liberal) feminist movement centered in the workplace, or at least that was the initial premise.
The article, “Did Liberal Feminism Ruin the Workplace?” originally made in the media of a podcast, sheds light on a broader question: why are media outlets prompting anti-women rhetoric in 2025?Â
The Breakdown
The article was called out for a plethora of reasons; however, it is interesting to note that the original headline was actually, if you can believe it, much worse when it was first released. Previously, the title read, “Did Women Ruin the Workplace? And if so, can conservative feminism fix it?”
Consequently, this caused almost immediate backlash, and speaking for myself, I was disgusted that this is a modern-day discussion we are having. The host, Ross Douthat, is known for her conservative beliefs, and the two authors who participated in the podcast episode were Helen Andrews and Leah Libresco Sargeant. These writers have previously expressed criticisms of feminist theory and ideas.
While reading this, I was in shock at their ignorance, and it left me wondering: What does this have to do with the workplace? There was a revolving door discussion about wokeness and how it’s feminized.
“Our institutions have gone woke because there are more women in them than there used to be,” Andrews said.
She goes on to emphasize the vilification of the #MeToo movement. Andrews mentions how she believes that it censors individuals’ opinions and the right to question victims. Sargeant, on the same token, connects feminization to wokeness and how it inhibits truth-telling in not only the workplace but also in academia and journalism.
The article then explains this theory that current feminism is not fair and justifies ideas of how “female vices” like gossip negatively impact workplaces. In general, there is a rhetoric of virtues and vices of males and females, and bringing back these biological theories of group dependency based on the sexes.
Let’s Address the Real Question
This disparagement of feminism is published by a major newspaper, but why? I can’t fathom justifying an article that calls College Title IX cases, “kangaroo courts for sexual assault on college campuses,” a productive debate. I think people assume that, as a whole, the NYT is a left-leaning publication, but my opinion is, this isn’t the first time they have published harmful rhetoric, and it most likely won’t be the last. The deeper issue is that we still have people who question the rights of women in spaces we deserve to be in and feel safe in. I mean, here are two women themselves arguing against the right not to be subjected to unwanted sexual advances, harassment, or abuse under the Title IX law. However, one great thing about this article is that it has brought forward so many amazing female-identifying journalists who amplify voices of our right to exist and be treated equally in these spaces.Â
And if there’s one thing you take away, please let it be the encouragement to educate yourself and explore media that amplifies the concerns of the marginalized.
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