It's been 50 years since the publication of Betty Friedan's life changing book, The Feminine Mystique. How much has been accomplished since then, and what still has to be done to achieve true gender equality?
Former Vermont Governor Madeleine Kunin remembers well when Friedan’s seminal work was discussed in her living room. She will track both the achievements of the feminist movement and areas where work remains to be done in a conversation with journalist Fran Stoddard on Thursday, April 4 at 4:30 p.m. in Memorial Lounge, Waterman Building, on the University of Vermont campus. The event is free and open to the public.
“Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique changed my life. Fifty years later, it’s time for another revolution to make it more possible for women, and increasingly men, to combine work and family. This is no longer a feminist issue, it’s an economic issue,” Kunin said.
Kunin was Vermont’s 77th governor, serving from 1985 to 1991. To date, she is the state's only female governor. As a member of President Bill Clinton’s administration, she served as deputy secretary of education from 1993 to 1997 and as United States ambassador to Switzerland from 1996 to 1999. A well known advocate for gender equality, Kunin’s most recent book is The New Feminist Agenda, Defining the Next Revolution for Women, Work and Family. She is also the author of Pearls, Politics, and Power: How Women Can Win and Lead. She is currently a James Marsh Professor at Large at UVM.
Fran Stoddard is a longtime Vermont journalist who has served as a producer and host for Vermont Public Radio and Vermont Public Television.