Feminist author Susan Faludi appeared on Three's The Nation to discuss her latest book, In the Dark Room.
Ms Faludi is in Auckland for the Writers' Festival, and joined host Lisa Owen to discuss the backlash to feminism, and the impact of US President Donald Trump.
"Well, we have a president whose first action was - one of his first actions was reinstituting and making even worse the global gag rule against healthcare organisations - even speaking of abortion," Ms Faludi said.
"He's somebody who's equated equal pay with socialism; he's hell-bent on defunding Planned Parenthood, putting Justices on the court who will ban abortion. This is not a good time for women."
Ms Faludi blamed Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's loss on sexism in the American public.
"There's a gender dimension to this. There's something about Hilary Clinton in the way that she was presented during the campaign," she said.
"The Republic right was very good at casting her in, which is that she is this, you know, 'elitist' who cannot understand or cannot appreciate the interests of working-class people and working-class women, in particular.
"And this fantasy that this sugar daddy was going to come along and protect them. And, in the end, in the US we have a real problem with imagining a woman having power without seeing that woman as either 'controlling mum' or 'wicked witch'."
Newshub.
