November 20, 1985 · Cavalier Daily

Steinem Cites Changes

Gloria Steinem gives a lecture at Old Cabell Hall on current feminist efforts to eliminate sexuality and gender-based discrimination in the workplace and elsewhere, a movement which she calls 'second-wave feminism,' and contrasts with the 'first-wave feminism' movement for women's suffrage.

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Subject	College student newspapers and periodicals Feminism and higher education Feminism and mass media
Creator	Dudley Percy
Source	Cavalier Daily
Publisher	Cavalier Daily
Date	1985-11-20

Text	Steinem Cites Changes By DUDLEY PERCY Cavalier Daily Staff Writer One of the largest turnouts ever for a speaker at Old Cabell Hall forced hundreds of eager would-be listeners away from a talk last night given by feminist leader and N.O.W. founder Gloria Steinem. The predominately female crowd that did manage to squeeze itself into the building, however, was greeted with the humorous quip, "It walks, it talks, it's a feminist," from Steinem. The crowd cheered. In the speech â€” which was co-sponsored by University Union, FOCUS and the Women's Studies Program â€” Steinem focused on the current and profound change in the nation's feminist movement she calls the "second wave. " The first wave, Steinem said, was the movements toward suffrage and abolition that 150 years of strife before women and minorities gained a legal identity as human beings. The second wave is the current social movement against discrimination on sex, race, ethnicity and sexual preference, Steinem said. "We probably have another century before those gross categories are overcome," she said, adding, "Those characteristics should never dictate an entire human life. " There has been a dramatic change in consciousness of the rights of women and minorities, but now is the time to make institutional changes, Steinem said. "Itâ€™s time to make our ideas and dreams practical choices," she said. One thing preventing that change is President Reagan â€” "the most anti-equality president this country has ever seen," Steinem said. â€œNever before has a president tried to turn the clock backwards as Reagan has," she said. Despite clear opposition in the White House, Steinem stressed that women can form a "psychic country" that will one day become the â€œreal country." One source for strength is university campuses where the mean age of female students is 27, Steinem said. Campuses are no longer â€œthe 18-20-year-old ghettos" they used to be. Instead they are the Ã¦tting of great and social and political activism, she said. â€œThe age of students has changed. The nature of students has changed. Courses have changed,â€ Steinem said.

Text

Steinem Cites Changes
By DUDLEY PERCY
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer
One of the largest turnouts ever for a speaker at Old Cabell Hall forced hundreds of eager would-be listeners away from a talk last night given by feminist leader and N.O.W. founder Gloria Steinem.
The predominately female crowd that did manage to squeeze itself into the building, however, was greeted with the humorous quip, "It walks, it talks, it's a feminist," from Steinem. The crowd cheered.
In the speech â€” which was co-sponsored by University Union, FOCUS and the Women's Studies Program â€” Steinem focused on the current and profound change in the nation's feminist movement she calls the "second wave. "
The first wave, Steinem said, was the movements toward suffrage and abolition that 150 years of strife before women and minorities gained a legal identity as human beings.
The second wave is the current social movement against discrimination on sex, race, ethnicity and sexual preference, Steinem said.
"We probably have another century before those gross categories are overcome," she said, adding, "Those characteristics should never dictate an entire human life. "
There has been a dramatic change in consciousness of the rights of women and minorities, but now is the time to make institutional changes, Steinem said.
"Itâ€™s time to make our ideas and dreams practical choices," she said.
One thing preventing that change is President Reagan â€” "the most anti-equality president this country has ever seen," Steinem said.
â€œNever before has a president tried to turn the clock backwards as Reagan has," she said.
Despite clear opposition in the White House, Steinem stressed that women can form a "psychic country" that will one day become the â€œreal country."
One source for strength is university campuses where the mean age of female students is 27, Steinem said. Campuses are no longer â€œthe 18-20-year-old ghettos" they used to be. Instead they are the Ã¦tting of great and social and political activism, she said.
â€œThe age of students has changed. The nature of students has changed. Courses have changed,â€ Steinem said.

Tags	advocacy, student publications
Date Added	January 14, 2017
Date Modifed	December 9, 2017
Collection	Cavalier Daily: articles about gender discrimination

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