The young women of Newsweek took a look at an old problem: sexism. We’re encouraged and support their efforts, because America is going backwards — compared to other countries in the world — in what we assumed was an inevitable march towards gender equity.

Our rank in the Global Economic Forum’s Gender Equity report is falling. Globally we are 31 overall but 61 in political representation.

Yes, the challenges of home and family remain strong for Americanwomen, but much research confirms that men are more involved in housework and child-rearing than ever before. When we add up time at work, time in childrearing and time on housework, surveys say the genders are in parity with hours invested.

Even at the top end, female M.B.A.s make $4,600 less per year in their first job out of business school, according to a new Catalyst study. Motherhood has long been the explanation for the persistent pay gap, yet a decade out of college, full-time working women who haven’t had children still make 77 cents on the male dollar. As women increasingly become the breadwinners in this recession, bringing home 23 percent less bacon hurts families more deeply than ever before. “The last decade was supposed to be the ‘promised one,’ and it turns out it wasn’t,” says James Turley, the CEO of Ernst & Young, a funder of the recent M.B.A. study. “This is a wake-up call.” via Newsweek

Something more important is going on. Perhaps in a country where women in 2010 constitute only 16% of our elected officials in Washington and the Catholic bishops — yes, with the support of some women — want to overturn Roe vs Wade, America is actually a gender-relations battle ground once again.

We believe the fight is for real, but to date, the younger women haven’t agreed or aren’t interested. Meanwhile, patriarchal forces that want to be certain that women are married and producing the correct number of babies to sustain the religion, know what they must do.

Let’s see: men can’t have babies but they can fill jobs at work. America lives in a job creation crisis. Fill in the blanks, ladies. If you think men are staying home indefinitely, think again.

Yes, we know that women are more educated, but females are more educated in progressive countries the Middle East. Yet, they don’t have jobs.

Just as nations fight for prestige and patrimony, so do men. If I were a man, I wouldn’t turn over all my rights so gladly. Many American men are deeply resentful of women’s progress and tired of being pushed around.

Women’s ambition and pursuit of individuality have cost the country big-time, in their opinion. Their best vision of America does not have women in the corner office.

Let me put the issue to you succinctly, my dear young women. You retain the rights you protect and fight for. While you decide if there’s a real problem here, some well-connected, highly-influential men are trying to put you back where you belong. So far, you’re dropping like flies in terms of believing there’s anything to worry about.