News
ENLARGE
Gloria Steinem started out as an everyday woman who, after being moved by the stories of other women, put her passion into action.
It has been written that Steinem was a voice for women's rights when women had no voice.
Steinem celebrated her 75th birthday this year and with it a legacy that includes founding Ms Magazine and New York Magazine, co-creating Take Our Daughters to Work Day, starting organizations including the Women's Action Alliance and Voters for Choice, co-founding the Women's Media Center and writing several best-selling books including “Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem.”
She has no intention of slowing down.
What is the message about the women's movement now?
The general cultural pattern has been that women are generally conservative when they are young and get more radical as they get older. This is because women lose power as they get older and men gain power.
We think if they're not totally radical when they are young, it's never going to happen, when actually, life radicalizes them.
Have we accomplished what we set out to do 40 years ago in the women's movement?
We haven't accomplished what we set out to do in anything.
We shouldn't think that revolution or, let's say, transformation, is something that happens very quickly. Change is generational.
We need to change the way children are brought up. We have no idea what is possible if we had one whole generation raised without violence.
When was that pivotal moment in your life that you thought, “I have to do something”?
The surprising thing for me was that I waited so long. I was probably in my mid-30s when I realized that just working hard and being a good girl wasn't enough.
What stands out most in my mind was covering as a journalist a hearing on abortion because the New York Legislature was trying to reform New York state law, and they had invited 14 men and one nun to testify.
A group of early feminists held a hearing to say, “Hold on, let's hear from women on this,” and I went to cover it. It was the first time I'd ever heard women telling their stories in public.
What instilled the belief that you could accomplish whatever you set out to do?
I don't believe that and I don't think it is fair to tell our daughters that they can be whatever they want to be, because they can't. It is unrealistic, because then they'll blame themselves if they can't do it.
The point is to say that you should be able to do whatever you want, and you are going to have a great time breaking down those walls ahead of you.
Who are the women telling the stories that we should be listening to?
We each have a story. We need to come together and listen to each other's stories.
We need to have speak-outs; nothing is more powerful than speaking out on a specific issue you know something about or has happened to you. We need filmmakers and media people who amplify these stories for the world.
As you look back on your life, is there anything you wish you knew that you know now?
Oh tons. I was naïve about how much it would take. I didn't understand that if women were paid equally, that it is a massive redistribution of wealth, or that if we started to really count all productive labor including child rearing and care giving, that's a third of the work in the country.
What is your message to women around the world?
Don't listen to me; listen to yourself. Listen to the inner voice that tells you what you love, and I'll help.
See Jane Do is a multi-media program, capturing the stories of everyday women doing extraordinary things for the planet, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on KVMR 89.5FM the first Wednesday of every month. Visit SeeJaneDo-.com.
It has been written that Steinem was a voice for women's rights when women had no voice.
Steinem celebrated her 75th birthday this year and with it a legacy that includes founding Ms Magazine and New York Magazine, co-creating Take Our Daughters to Work Day, starting organizations including the Women's Action Alliance and Voters for Choice, co-founding the Women's Media Center and writing several best-selling books including “Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem.”
She has no intention of slowing down.
What is the message about the women's movement now?
The general cultural pattern has been that women are generally conservative when they are young and get more radical as they get older. This is because women lose power as they get older and men gain power.
We think if they're not totally radical when they are young, it's never going to happen, when actually, life radicalizes them.
Have we accomplished what we set out to do 40 years ago in the women's movement?
We haven't accomplished what we set out to do in anything.
We shouldn't think that revolution or, let's say, transformation, is something that happens very quickly. Change is generational.
We need to change the way children are brought up. We have no idea what is possible if we had one whole generation raised without violence.
When was that pivotal moment in your life that you thought, “I have to do something”?
The surprising thing for me was that I waited so long. I was probably in my mid-30s when I realized that just working hard and being a good girl wasn't enough.
What stands out most in my mind was covering as a journalist a hearing on abortion because the New York Legislature was trying to reform New York state law, and they had invited 14 men and one nun to testify.
A group of early feminists held a hearing to say, “Hold on, let's hear from women on this,” and I went to cover it. It was the first time I'd ever heard women telling their stories in public.
What instilled the belief that you could accomplish whatever you set out to do?
I don't believe that and I don't think it is fair to tell our daughters that they can be whatever they want to be, because they can't. It is unrealistic, because then they'll blame themselves if they can't do it.
The point is to say that you should be able to do whatever you want, and you are going to have a great time breaking down those walls ahead of you.
Who are the women telling the stories that we should be listening to?
We each have a story. We need to come together and listen to each other's stories.
We need to have speak-outs; nothing is more powerful than speaking out on a specific issue you know something about or has happened to you. We need filmmakers and media people who amplify these stories for the world.
As you look back on your life, is there anything you wish you knew that you know now?
Oh tons. I was naïve about how much it would take. I didn't understand that if women were paid equally, that it is a massive redistribution of wealth, or that if we started to really count all productive labor including child rearing and care giving, that's a third of the work in the country.
What is your message to women around the world?
Don't listen to me; listen to yourself. Listen to the inner voice that tells you what you love, and I'll help.
See Jane Do is a multi-media program, capturing the stories of everyday women doing extraordinary things for the planet, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on KVMR 89.5FM the first Wednesday of every month. Visit SeeJaneDo-.com.
