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.
July 15, 1977 - Gloria Steinem, women's right advocate and editor of the feminist publication Ms. magazine addresses the annual convention of the American Association of the University Women in Minneapolis.
August 25, 1977 - MPR’s Claudia Hampston presents Minnesota Women's Meeting sampler, Part II.
August 27, 1977 - The following edition of The Poet's Perspective is on the subject of rural women. The program features Southwest Minnesota regional poets Joe and Nancy Paddock.
October 3, 1977 - MPR’s John Merli reports on swearing in of Associate Justice Rosalie Wahl to Minnesota Supreme Court.
November 5, 1977 - The following edition of The Poet's Perspective is on the subject of teenage pregnancy. The program features Southwest Minnesota regional poets Joe and Nancy Paddock.
November 17, 1977 - MPR reporters Claudia Hampston, Kate Williams, and Janet Carter preview the concerns and issues that Minnesota representatives will take to the National Women's Conference in Houston, Texas.
November 22, 1977 - MPR’s Jan Falstad reports on members of women’s group upon their return from Houston after attending pro-family rally and protesting feminist delegates of The National Women's Conference.
January 7, 1978 - On this regional public affairs program, Ellen Pence, state coordinator of the Minnesota Program for Battered Women; and Barbara Adams, chairperson of a United Way study of battered women in the Minneapolis area, discuss the problems of battered women.
January 8, 1978 - Susan Sontag speaks on art and a critical look into it's meaning.
February 1, 1978 - Minnesota Public Radio music announcer Bill Parker moderates a panel discussion and listener call-in on Gertrude Stein and Virgil Thomson's “The Mother of Us All”, preceding the opening night of the Minnesota Opera production.