Recover a lost vision: feminism with roots

ABC for UNE

Erika Bachiochi invites us to reflect on the direction of current feminism in ‘recovering a lost vision. The rights of women in the United States’ (Eunsa, 2025)

Through a historical and philosophical tour, Bachiochi raises us a key question: When did feminism leave aside the ethical and relational vision with which it was born? From Mary Wollstonecraft to the present day, the book explores how the struggle for women’s rights has evolved and in what aspects could have been diverted from its original essence.

One of the most interesting points in the book is Wollstonecraft thinking claim. For the British philosopher, marriage was not a system of oppression, but a relationship of friendship and collaboration between equals. In his work ‘Vindication of women’s rights’ (1792), he defended the education of women and their active role in society. Bachiochi takes up this idea and contrasses it with contemporary feminism, arguing that the sexual revolution of the 60s and 70s brought with it a break in co -responsibility between men and women, affecting both family and society.

The book is divided into Ten chapters covering from the influence of Wollstonecraft to current policies on reproductive rights, marriage and work. In the first chapters, Bachiochi analyzes how the first feminist understood equality in terms of education and virtue. Then, Explore the evolution of feminism in the United States, from the struggle for suffrage to the sexual revolution of the twentieth century. Also dedicates several chapters to the relationship between family, employment and care, and how industrialization changed the roles of men and women. Finally, he proposes recover a vision of feminism that value care and family co -responsibility.

One of the most striking aspects of the book is its Analysis about marriage today. Unlike what the radical feminists of the 70s predicted, women with greater education and economic autonomy are precisely the ones who marry and remain married, this according to a study by Brookings Institutioni. Not because they are obliged to do so, but because they have understood the value of mutual support and family stability. Bachiochi also questions the idea that feminism and sexual revolution should go hand in hand, arguing that this link has had negative effects, especially for the most vulnerable women.

Another controversial point addressed by the author is the relationship of feminism with abortion. Bachiochi argues that the deep contradiction of modern feminism lies in its distancing from Wollstonecraft’s original moral vision and the first defenders of women’s rights. A fundamental breakwaters was when the feminist movement assumed abortion not only as a solution for extreme cases, but as an indispensable condition for female equality and autonomy. According to the author, this change of approach transformed the perception of pregnancy and motherhood, moving them away from their natural bond with family solidarity and turning them into individual decisions discouraged from shared responsibilities.

In this sense, Bachiochi argues that abortion has strengthened an individualistic and consumerist vision, where procreation is treated as a matter of personal choice without community implications. Beyond its effects on women, this change has had consequences for society as a whole, weakening the family structure and promoting a more fragile and unstable relationship model. For the author, the ease of access to abortion has not made women out of or equal, but has distorted shared responsibilities between men and women, weakening social fabric and promoting a culture that devalue parenting and care.

In it Debate on care workthe author dialogues with contemporary voices such as Anne-Marie Slaughter, Princeton professor, who in her popular book Incincusous Affairs defended the need to give within feminism more value to the care tasks of the little and vulnerable. Slaughter argues that, if society appreciated these roles, men would participate more actively in them, achieving a balance between home and work. This vision coincides with Wollstonecraft’s idea about the importance of education in virtue and co -responsibility within the family.

In short, ‘recover a lost vision’ It is not a rejection of feminism, but an invitation to reflect on its essence and direction. Bachiochi reminds us that Equality cannot be separated from the ethics, family and biological reality of women. It is a book that Open a necessary debate and offer an enriching perspective For those looking for a more balanced feminism, which harmonizes rights and duties, autonomy and community, freedom and responsibility. A provocative and necessary book in the current debate about the meaning and course of feminism.