The 1970s was an impactful decade for women’s striving for equality in the United States. Beyond the news headlines of ERA, NOW, and Roe vs. Wade, more women entered the workforce, enrolled in colleges, and took the spotlight in business, politics, and professional sports. The topic of gender discrimination was in the forefront, and with it, strong and diverse viewpoints on the path forward. Minnesota was no exception, and this collection represents some of the views and ways of life for women in this tumultuous decade.
May 2, 1972 - Kitty Kelly, a freelance writer for Time Magazine, speaking at luncheon meeting of the Minnesota Press Club while in Minneapolis. Kelly told the group about the world of Women's Wear Daily.
May 2, 1972 - MPR’s Dulcie Lawrence profiles member of Alabama’s national Democratic delegation.
July 28, 1972 - MPR’s Paul Gruchow presents interview about the unfair treatment and racism against Black women working in General Mills and other corporations.
September 6, 1972 - MPR’s Connie Goldman reports on the differing opinions of the Mary Tyler Moore TV show, which is set in Minneapolis.
September 7, 1972 - After racial disturbances at several Minneapolis high schools last year, human relations programs are appearing in high schools.
October 3, 1972 - MPR’s Bob Potter interviews Phyllis Schlafly, author and conservative movement leader, on her views of women’s rights and her opposition of the Equal Rights Amendment. Phyllis Schlafly states women should not be equal to men.
October 3, 1972 - GOP cabinet members' wives visit Minnesota and campaign for Nixon. Report includes brief interviews with wives.
October 6, 1972 - Excerpt of Kate Millett speaking at Macalester College on discrimination against women professionals, and about women academics at Columbia appealing to HEW for fair treatment.
October 13, 1972 - Kate Millett speaks on self-publishing for/by women. In speech, Millett talks on filtering through the male establishment and the autonomy of women to do their own thing; that an editor is not a writer; and about the opposition to any new artistic form. She states that outsiders are better to have their own presses and should not depend on fat-cat capitalism.
October 18, 1972 - MPR’s Connie Goldman talks with Pat Huss, who discusses the results of Minnesota Public Interest Research Group survey on Twin Cities employment agencies.