Abstract
Ruderman discusses the challenge that contemporary professional women still face in a sexist society and from their own inner critic. She shows how a relational approach to the treatment of women can empower women to overcome both external and internalized sexism. It is suggested that as patriarchy has been challenged, there has been a backlash against feminism. Urban professional men rebel against feminism by aspiring to become playboys who will never stop “playing the field.” The playboy mentality creates a challenge for contemporary professional women who may not wish their boyfriends or husbands to be spending so much time seeking sexual gratification through Internet pornography, lap dances at strip clubs, massages with happy endings, or clandestine affairs.