Well, it is true that it’s not always straightforward to read these things. But if I were to read a paper from your own academic field, would I not have expect to have to do some work in order to understand it? Academia doesn’t become trivial just because it’s a social science rather than a biological science. Sociological studies are built on years of analysis, theory, evidence gathering, analysis, theory, evidence gathering just as they are in your own area. But that’s precisely why it’s a bit frustrating when people tread old ground without at least being willing to consider that others have already been there, and with considerable rigour. Otherwise, it’s like insisting on one’s own views regarding the nervous system based only on one’s own observations and having watched a YouTube video about phrenology, if you see what I mean. It’s just a good thing to know something about the body of work already performed if you’re going to advance your own theories.
Of course, abstracts are never the easiest part of a paper to read anyway. They compress the whole thing into a few hundred words, so don’t have time to explain anything. Papers themselves are much easier to read than abstracts.
Now, this abstract: I’ll try to expand it based also on my understanding of what the paper itself discusses:
Here she’s saying that government strategies have encouraged and enabled certain education and employment practices. These practices are all about turning women into the right kind of worker. They’re certainly not created in the interests of women.
This is saying that part of those education and employment strategies created by governments is to create a cultural value system that does not question the political structure. Girls have been sold an individualist, meritocratic dream and sent out to attain it. By design, this value system does not question hegemonic masculinity, ie (amongst other things) the way the world is built around having power if you are within the working world that was traditionally a male preserve. As a result, the cultural beliefs that give men power, which were being challenged prior to the late 90s, have been restabilised.
This is saying that since girls have been sold the idea that they can now do and achieve anything, it becomes their own fault if they don’t manage it. They just need to work harder on perfecting themselves. Given the effort this takes, the last thing women then have time for is to challenge the status quo.
So in total, it’s raising similar concerns to yours, but it’s having an in-depth look at where the real blame belongs for the things you are concerned about. And the reason for me pushing this paper is that this is part of current feminism. When you say “feminism is saying X”, it doesn’t then seem fair to not actually read what feminism really is saying. I’m pointing out to you that what you are claiming about feminism is not right, and I’m giving you the respect of doing so by actually giving you the evidence for my statement.