Joan Vennochi is right: Women may indeed have come a long way compared with a century ago, but some things haven’t changed. The venom that Carmen Ortiz encountered is similar to what any powerful woman still endures (“Ortiz is no Cruella de Vil,’’ Opinion, Jan. 16).

Look at what Hillary Clinton was called: shrew, witch, aggressive, Lady Macbeth — and those are just some examples that are printable.

Men who are powerful and dominant are rarely subjected to that level of verbal abuse; in fact, society seems to make excuses for them. As Donald Trump would say: “Sad.’’

Donna L. Halper, Quincy

The writer is an associate professor of communication and media studies at Lesley University.