Social, Political and Economic Equality

Meet the women behind the movement

Written By Kristine Hedlund
Photos by Andrew Grant

A CBS News poll stated that 65% of all American women today say they are feminists who believe in social, political and economic equality of the sexes.

My question to the other 35% is did you not participate in the poll? Or was it the word “feminist” that threw you off? Or do you truly not believe in social, political and economic equality between the sexes?

Gloria Steinem, a writer, editor and activist, who has been speaking out on issues of equality for more than 40 years, delivered her message on Feminism for the 21st Century to a crowded house of over 1000 attendees on October 17 at the ASU Memorial Union Ballroom. Steinem was sponsored by Gloria Feldt and Alex Barbanell, the benefactors of The Feldt/Barbanell Women of the World Lecture series. The Women of the World Lecture was established in 2002 to bring to Arizona State University prominent individuals to address issues of a global nature and their effects on women.

When I heard that Gloria Steinem was coming to ASU, I thought, who better to grace our One Year Anniversary cover than the one individual responsible for grading a trail to equality. Take note that I did not say “paving a trail.” That would mean that Gloria’s mission has been smooth, and nothing could be further from the truth.

Gloria’s fight continues for women in media through the Women’s Media Center, assuring that women and women’s experiences are reflected in the media, just as women are present everywhere in the real world; that women are represented as local, national, and global sources for and subjects of the media; and that women media professionals have equal opportunities for employment and advancement.

Gloria also continues to focus her interests in the shared origins of sex and race caste systems, gender roles and child abuse as roots of violence, non-violent conflict resolution, cultures of indigenous peoples, and organizing across boundaries for peace and justice.

I had a moment to chat with Gloria and also to share some of her discussion at ASU.

Kristine Hedlund: Everyone seems to have their own definition of "feminism." What is yours?
Gloria Steinem: The dictionary is fine: The belief in the full social, political and economic equality of females and males. I would only add ... “and acting on that belief.”
Obviously, both men and women can be feminists. There are also synonyms that some use instead: for example, womanist, women's liberationist or mujerista.

If you could challenge and encourage "today’s women" to accomplish 3 things in their lives, what would those 3 things be?
First, to use the three kinds of power we all have -- voter power, consumer power and nuisance power -- on behalf of freedom and equality for the female half of the world.

Second, to express the full circle of human talents that exists in unique form in each of us, female and male.

Third, not to lower our standards for males – whether it be our sons or political leaders, our lovers or our co-workers – but to expect them to be as empathetic, non-violent, and nurturing toward children as we would expect of female human beings.

When you look back to all that you have accomplished for women, do you feel that the next generation is carrying the torch or dropping the ball?
They're definitely carrying the torch. Their activism may look different because they have different experiences. For example, they may be angrier at the suppression of sex education and contraception in the schools than they are about the threat to safe and legal abortion. And they may get more activist with age as they add to those experiences.

What is your focus for the next chapter in your life?
Writing, writing and more writing…And working with the Women's Media Center www.womensmediacenter.com. Our goal is to see that the next frontier of justice for women will help elevate the female half of the world to become equally visible and powerful in the media.

During her speech at ASU, Gloria highlighted a few statistics on what the world looked like in 1972 and what it looks like today:

In 1972 – There were two cultures to each family – male and female.
Today – Girls can be raised like boys, but we still don’t raise our boys with the same patience and compassion with which we raise our daughters. It’s not about male vs. female. It’s about function.

In 1972 – There were three female Heads of State, internationally.
Today – There are 20 female Heads of State, and all were elected on their own merits.

In 1972 – There were two women of color in Congress.
Today – There are 23 (4.3%).

In 1972 – Women earned 59 cents on the dollar compared to men.
Today – Women earn 77 cents on the dollar compared to men.

In 1972 – Two Women’s Studies programs were available in college curriculum.
Today – There are 754 and growing.

In 1972 – The average CEO earned 40% greater than the worker.
Today – The average CEO earns over 424 % greater than the worker.

Gloria reflected back to a moment when she was young and thought, “I am not going to be like my mother.” “My mother dreamed of being a journalist,” she said. “And because family came first, her dreams were set aside.” Gloria went on to say that today, young women are reflecting on their future and saying, “I hope I can have as interesting as a life as my mother.”

So the question was asked, “Is the movement over?” Gloria replied, “We are now 30 to 40 years into it, and it looks like we have 60 years to go.”
Steinem, who in 1972 co-founded Ms. magazine and remained one of its editors for 15 years, now travels world wide as a feminist activist and lecturer. In addition to published works in Esquire, The New York Times Magazine and numerous publications in the United States and in other countries, Steinem has written several best selling books, including Revolution from Within: a Book of Self-Esteem, Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, Moving Beyond Words, and Marilyn: Norma Jean on the life of Marilyn Monroe. Her writing also appears in many anthologies and textbooks, and she was an editor of Houghton Mifflin’s The Reader’s Companion to U.S. Women’s History.
In 2004, Steinem, along with Jane Fonda and Robin Morgan, co-founded The Women’s Media Center, a non-partisan, non-profit progressive women's media organization based in New York.
She currently is at work on Road to the Heart: America as if Everyone Mattered, a book about her life on the road as a feminist organizer. When not traveling, Steinem calls New York City home.

ASU presents Women and Gender Studies

ASU offers one of the largest and most vibrant Women and Gender Studies programs in the country. The first women's studies course at ASU, a survey of women's education, was offered in 1974. Since then, the program has graduated over 342 majors and minors, many of whom live and work in the valley, including Samantha Johnson, class of 2000, who was given the Young Alumni Achievement Award by the ASU Alumni Association for her work on behalf of women with disabilities. Last year, ASU taught 3,871 students in their courses, and in January 2007, they were authorized by the Arizona Board of Regents to offer a PhD in Gender Studies.

ASU is only one of 12 universities in the country engaged in doctoral education in women's studies. There is a demand for high quality research on women and gender by government, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and intergovernmental agencies like the UN and the World Bank.

Dr. Mary Margaret Fonow has been involved in the field of women's studies as a faculty member and as an administrator for most of her professional life. Dr. Fonow came here in 2004 from Ohio State University to become the Director of the ASU's Women and Gender Studies Program.

“I was looking for a new opportunity to build a women's studies program that was relevant for the challenges of the 21st century, and ASU was the ideal place to try new ideas and approaches,” Fonow said. “I love the dynamism of the university and the region; both are growth oriented and focused on change.” Dr. Fonow went on to say, “I am passionate about justice and how to achieve it, and so are my colleagues and students. The energy and idealism is refreshing here, and I was lucky to be offered the position to direct such a successful program.”
The ASU Women and Gender Studies program currently offers a comprehensive curriculum organized along the following specializations:

• Justice, Social Change and Sustainability: explores the gender dimension of the social structure and the social division of labor, the processes of social change, institutions and organizations, community development and sustainability and analyze how policies and laws can improve or hinder the quality of life for everyone. We have faculty expertise in gender and globalization, immigration, work, social policy, domestic violence, child welfare, gender and development in Latin America, and gender and the environment.
• Health, Science and Technology: explores the impact of gender on health care, health occupations and the scientific enterprise. We have faculty expertise in gender and global health disparities, bioethics, women’s roles as healers and care-givers, HIV/AIDS prevention, addiction, gender and technology, and the participation of women in math and science in the developing world.
• Visual and Narrative Culture: explores historical characterization of gender, literary narratives about gender and the cultural representations of gender and race in film, media, advertising, and art. We have faculty expertise in history, gender, race and cultural representations, performance, popular culture and literature.

After garnering their degree in Women and Gender Studies, many of these students continue on to graduate school and law school, while others work in business, government and nonprofit organizations. They often find jobs that allow them to serve as advocates for women and children and to work on real-world problems like health care, violence prevention, workplace discrimination, and women's poverty. Some go into media and the arts where they use their knowledge to change negative representations of women. Some become teachers, educators and corporate trainers, and some open their own businesses.

The ASU survey course, Women and Society, enrolls about 2400 students, and about a third are men. Students take the course because it meets general education requirements. “I once had a male student bent on a career in politics who thought he could not get elected without understanding the history and experiences of women, and another young man told me he took the course because he heard it was interesting and relevant,” recalled Fonow.

The most compelling issues for everyone, but particularly for women and children, are economic. Health care, good schools, safe environments, peace and equality at home and abroad are only possible when everyone has a decent standard of living. Far too many women are found among the ranks of the poor and the near poor, and this has disastrous consequences for themselves, their families, and their communities.

“The next stage of curriculum will be global, and I look forward to working with ASU's School of Global Studies,” said Fonow. “We will need to incorporate the perspectives of scholars from around the world if we are to understand the impact of globalization on women.” ASU is also interested in understanding the gender dimension of newer topics such as religious conflict, sustainability and environmental justice, and science and technology.

Every issue is a feminist issue, from taxation to personalized medicine, so we need to evolve into new areas. Mary Margaret Fonow closed with, “If I could change one thing today, it would be to provide a living wage with health care benefits for all workers, and support for the care work that women provide world wide.”

Meet Gloria Feldt

The Feldt/Barbanell Women of the World Lecture brings prominent individuals to ASU every fall to address the issues of global nature and their effects on women, and it was through the efforts of Gloria and Alex that we were given the opportunity to spend time with Gloria Steinem and also hear of what Gloria Feldt is doing today. Past lecturers have included Kathleen Turner and Eve Ensler.

Kristine Hedlund: Gloria, tell us about the inspiration behind the Women of the World Lecture series.
Gloria Feldt: Alex Barbanell is a devoted ASU alumnus. He wanted to make a meaningful gift, and we decided together that the Women of the World lectures would enrich the students' educational experience in both history (his major) and women and social justice (my passion), while bringing the "town" in to see ASU's great work.

You and Alex began this series in 2002 and have brought inspirational women to ASU. Can you highlight a few of the speakers you have sponsored in the past, including the most recent, Gloria Steinem.
We've had amazing women. First was Eve Ensler, founder of V-Day, which is a global movement to stop violence against women. Actress extraordinaire Kathleen Turner was next, and she spoke on "Reel Women and Real Women" – about balancing her family life with her profession and the roles she plays on screen and stage. Last year, Dr. Nafis Sadik, former Director General of the United Nations Population Fund, brought her international perspective. Dr. Sadik is the visionary behind the UN conferences that highlighted women's rights and responsibilities in relation to a sustainable global population, reproductive and sexual health, economic development, and the environment. These conferences led to a global consensus about the need for women's empowerment and equality.

Each of these women has been enormously influential, but none more so than this year's speaker, Gloria Steinem. She literally defines feminism and the movement for simple justice for women. Her big picture explanation of the history, present and future of women's equality inspired the older women like me to continue our activism and, more importantly, inspired the young women and men who packed the lecture hall to move the needle of social justice forward in their own way in the 21st Century.

As a young wife and mother from a small town in Texas, I am curious as to where your strength and insight came from in supporting women's civil rights, equality, and social justice.
My children were always my first inspiration and source of strength because I wanted them to have options to shape their own lives. What today seems like a simple and pervasive technology – the birth control pill – became available and changed my life in the early 1960s. It enabled me to have a life and pursue my education and career and to do community service work. I knew from my own experience that for a woman to determine the course of her life, she must first be able to determine for herself whether and when to have children. So advancing that aspect of women's human and civil rights became my life's work.

This was my first time attending your Women of the World Lectures, and I have to say that I was overly impressed with the attendance and the fact that so many men attended. Were you as surprised as I was?
I am married to a man who is as devoted to social justice for women as I am. (Eve has called him "a vagina friendly man.") I am not surprised when men attend the lecture, but I am very pleased. We won't solve the remaining problems unless men and women join together.

Let’s talk about the “generations” to come. What will their role be in the continuing fight for equality?
First of all, women and men must together reshape workplace policies so that both can earn a living and have a family life. There should never be a question about anyone "opting out." We need everyone's talents in economic life and family life. Then, as Gloria Steinem so eloquently illustrated, all social justice movements are connected. When we left the lecture hall, an amazing group of young women representing a multicultural sorority stopped her to talk about their commitment to cultural diversity. We were impressed and heartened. I'm also heartened that my grandsons look at me like I have three heads when I ask them whether they would vote for a woman for president. It's just normal for them to see women in leadership roles. Our future is in good hands.

This is your opportunity to encourage our PW readers to make a difference. What are three things our readers can do to support Women of the World?
First, talk it up. Carry the conversation beyond the lecture hall and into your daily discourse. Second, if you make an annual contribution to your university – ASU or any other – direct it to women's studies. Third, if you can make a larger contribution, consider funding a similar lecture once or annually, and make sure it focuses on women's equality and justice. I'd love to see these events sprout like Johnny (and Jill) Appleseed's trees all over the country.

I recently read that although you have retired from over 30 years with Planned Parenthood, you are currently involved as a fellow of the International Leadership Forum. You serve on the Women's Media Center board of directors and the advisory board of Our Bodies, Ourselves. You are a member of the New York Women's Forum, the Authors Guild, Women in Communications, and currently serve on the advisory board of Hygeia PCP, a consumer products company. What’s next for Gloria Feldt?
I have thought of myself as a writer since I was five years old and carried my little notepad everywhere. But life intervened and I took some detours. Now, I will have to live to 120 to write all the books I have in mind – so that's the plan. For the present, I am delighted that my book written with Kathleen Turner about her life (it's called Send Yourself Roses) will be released February 14. Women will love this book and find many inspiring lessons in it. For the next year, I am working to engage young people, especially young women, in the political process through media. I'm writing political commentary for Huffington Post, the Women's Media Center, women's magazines and websites, my own blog, and anyone else who will listen. I believe this is a moment for women, and I am wildly excited to be part of it.

Gloria Feldt
www.gloriafeldt.com
http://gloriafeldt.blogspot.com
917.715.5107, gloriafeldt04@aol.com

Upcoming Women and Studies event at ASU for the public:
Tuesday, November 13, 7 p.m.
Barrett Honors College at ASU is bringing Anna Quindlen. Quindlen will speak in Gammage on The Value of Reading and Writing in a Democratic Society. In 1992, Quindlen was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for commentary. In 1995, she left The New York Times and journalism to pursue a career as a full-time novelist. On Thursday, November 15, 4-5 p.m., the faculty will be involved in a colloquium with Quindlen entitled "Women in the 21st Century; The Balancing Act" on in the Student Service Building Amphitheater.

Contact Lexi.Noice@asu.edu for more details.