Book Review: 'Don't Be a Feminist,' by Bryan Caplan

By Patricia Patnode

Bryan Caplan is a professor at George Mason University and a former Mercatus Center scholar. In his recently published book, “Don’t Be A Feminist,” he defines feminism as “the view that society generally treats men more fairly than women.” Following feminism necessarily “leads you to treat men unjustly – to reflexively blame them both collectively and individually for the sheer imperfection of life,” he says.

Filled with Carrie Bradshaw-esque short essays and blog posts, the book attempts to convince his daughter why she shouldn’t join this popular men-hating club. 

I never thought of myself as a feminist or anti-feminist. While studying philosophy in college, I was introduced to great contemporary feminist writers like Simone De Beauviour and Mary Wollstonecraft. These pioneering thought leaders lived during a time when it was difficult to exist as a woman who wanted to exercise some independence, such as by owning property or traveling alone. 

To remove these “disagreeable” women, many states established predatory asylum systems in which they’d lock them away in confinement, often performing lobotomies at the behest of their families to ‘fix’ what was deemed a mental defect.

Feminism always seemed akin to liberalism in the way that its future purpose became unclear once major milestones, such as equal protections under the law and a democratic voting system, were achieved. I understood “feminist” to be a more amorphis, umbrella term with varying definitions, but Caplan pushed back on my relativist understanding of the ideology. He makes the case for outright denouncing feminists in a pragmatic rebellion.

After reading his book, I confess that I’ve been persuaded to identify at least as a non-feminist and perhaps even an anti-feminist when called for. While I, like the author, may be doomed to suffer through uncomfortable conversations about my newfound position, I’m now armed with robust arguments to face them. 

In a few of the essays, Caplan describes how feminism as well as nativism, nationalism, anti-immigration, racism, and affirmative action have permeated academia and the commercial sector and will harm the U.S. economy in the long run.

Caplan exposes the market failures and serious economic implications of feminism. One such byproduct, “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI),” is something that most of us are familiar with by now. It has infiltrated nearly every corner of American life, including corporations, universities, and government agencies.

DEI even made its way into the title of a 2021 executive order and the Government Auditing Standards (GAO) “yellowbook,” the guiding document for public auditors nationwide. 

“1.02 …Management and officials entrusted with public resources are responsible for carrying out public functions and providing service to the public effectively, efficiently, economically, ethically, and equitably within the context of the statutory boundaries of the specific government program.

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“1.03 As reflected in applicable laws, regulations, agreements, and standards, management and officials of government programs are responsible for providing reliable, useful, and timely information for transparency and accountability of these programs and their operations. Legislators, oversight bodies, those charged with governance, and the public need to know whether… (3) government services are provided effectively, efficiently, economically, ethically, and equitably.”

Recognizing the reality that feminism, and by extention DEI, is the guiding ideology at universities producing the economists and regulators who manage our nation, the topic of feminism merits more thoughtful consideration and examination today than at any other point in modern American history.

The book cautions against a future in which there is an even stronger emphasis on such faux-diversity principles. Caplan is right to sound the alarm about feminism. All rational thinkers should be extremely worried about the feminist sand we are building our proverbial house on. 

Difficult discussions about feminism and DEI in classrooms, companies, and the federal bureaucracy are inevitable. It’s best to hash them out now so as not to risk wearing away this country’s foundation of critical thinking and equality of opportunity.

Reviewer’s final verdict: Highly recommended.

Patricia Patnode is a columnist at The Conservateur and a Junior Fellow at the Independent Women's Forum. She can be found on Twitter @IdealPatricia.