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In recent years, certain changes have taken place in my analytic practice which I attribute to the women's liberation movement. First, there has been an increase in the number of women seeking me out because they want to work with a woman analyst. Secondly, they come into therapy with specific problems which are related to their new activities. The fact that they seek out a woman, and incidentally women therapists are all having this experience lately, is an indication of their increased self-esteem as women. In addition, they often state explicitly that they want a woman therapist because they feel she would understand them better, since she has already gone through some of the same struggles. Several patients have told me that they fear that a male therapist will want them to adjust to and accept the conventional stereotype of femininity.
The feminist movement has reached women in all walks of life, causing them to question attitudes, feelings, and behavior which they formerly took for granted. They are not only questioning their attitudes, but are actively seeking to change. Many are returning to school for more education. Young women are applying in large numbers for admission into professional schools such as law, medicine, and engineering. Women are now in executive positions in business, banking, and government, where they had never been before. All of this new activity brings problems.
Those who are trying to take advantage of the new opportunities