Further, the question of why women reject feminism is addressed by Carolyn Sachs in her book
Gendered Fields (1996). Arguing from the perspective of feminist theory, she points out that “a
feminist viewpoint does not immediately derive from women’s experiences” (p.16), and that the
experiences of oppressed groups are not necessarily perceived as oppression. Within a patriarchal
society where men define the world, women are unable to understand their situation in an
undistorted form. A feminist consciousness needs development through, for instance, consciousness
raising groups (Smith, 1987).