By Jamie Glazov
Frontpage Interview’s guest today is Carrie Lukas, the Vice President for Policy and Economics at the Independent Women’s Forum. She is a Senior Fellow at the Goldwater Institute and a contributor to National Review Online. She is the author of the new book The Politically Incorrect Guide to Women, Sex and Feminism.
FP: Carrie Lukas, welcome to Frontpage Interview.
Lukas: Thanks for having me.
FP: So what motivated you to write this politically incorrect guide?
Lukas: I’m 32 years old, married, and recently had my first child. Looking back I realized just how many critical decisions a person makes in the ten years following college– decisions that really determine the course of your life. I’ve talked to a lot of college women. Listening to their hopes and concerns, I was reminded of some of the confusion that I faced when I was graduating more than ten years ago. I made many mistakes along the way, I feel extremely fortunate to be where I am today. I wrote this book in hopes of providing women and those who love them with information that is often left out of the national conversation. Information that I wish I had ten or fifteen years ago. Information that exposes the insidious lies that feminists have been peddling for years.
FP: What lies brainwash young women?
Lukas: The two biggest lies are that men are the enemy and that government is the answer to our problems. Women’s studies programs in particular are often guilty of making it seem as though all of women’s problems are the result of the dreaded “patriarchy” and that if only men would start doing the laundry or if only government would pass some new law then women would be on easy street.
What we need to realize is that all people have choices they must make, there are only twenty-four hours in a day, you can’t be two places at once, and you only have one life to live. You’re going to have to make trade-offs in allocating your time. Government can’t save us from that, it’s just the reality of being human.
FP: What do you think women still prefer really about men even though it may not be politically correct?
Lukas: Studies have shown, and common sense observation supports, that most women still prefer men to be the family bread winners. In spite of all of our complaining, most women want to be the ones who take primary responsibility for raising children. I’m not saying I’d complain if my husband started doing more dishes, but basically gender roles aren’t something cooked up by men to keep women down. The radical feminists desperately want women to believe this, but most of know it is bunk. Women want men who act like men, or better yet, like gentlemen.
FP: What is it that radical feminists want? What is their ideal vision of society?
Lukas: Radical feminists tend to want a “genderless” society– a world where men and women are essentially interchangeable and are equally represented in all walks of life. The problem is, real men and women don’t act this way. Men and women often have different preferences. It drives feminists crazy, but women still tend to want to spend more time raising children than men do. Women tend to prefer jobs that are more personally fulfilling and flexible, and accept lower pay to have those kinds of jobs. Women are less interested in sports than men. Most people don’t see this as a problem, in fact, I think we should celebrate the differences between men and women. But these natural differences are a problem for feminists who want men and women to be the same.