An Interview with a Feminist

My first thought was to interview an older woman to get her views on feminism.  Then it came to me that I know someone who might possibly consider herself a feminist.  When asked the question, she answered with a confident “yes.” Kathleen is a dedicated and hard working single parent.  She is a recovered alcoholic and mother of a nineteen (19) year old daughter.  She would also go as far as to say that she is a bi-sexual and very comfortable in her own skin.  Her definition of feminism is sound.  She believes that people of all genders should have equal rights and responsibilities.  She thinks we should all have the opportunity to be our best selves and not to be held back by laws or society’s expectations.  This answer was not at all surprising to me; in fact, I would have been surprised if she had said anything different. 

 

I would categorize Kathleen as a Liberal Feminist.  I say this because when I asked her if there had been any particular events in her life that led her to feminism, she said that she had read some books in college.  The main one that influenced her was “The Feminine Mystique.”  In fact, she still has the book that was given to her by a roommate when she was in school in California. At this same time, she purchased a subscription to Ms. Magazine and was fortunate to hear Gloria Steinem speak at her school. Kathleen has been an avowed feminist for the past 30-35 years. Liberal feminism is centered around gender equality with a focus on the ability to have equal access to education, equal pay, and better working conditions. This philosophy fits Kathleen like a glove.  She consistently looks out for her peers and works tirelessly in Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) to ensure that individuals in recovery know that her door is always open. 

In “The Feminine Mystique”, Betty Freidan opened the minds and eyes of woman all across the nation.  She made them think of the missing pieces to their lives. “The only way for a woman, as for a man, to find herself, to know herself as a person, is by creative work of her own” (Friedan, 1963). Kathleen began looking for more information on the topic of feminism and attending book signings and readings whenever possible. 

 

Does she enjoy being a feminist?  “I enjoy it when I recognize I am part of a bigger group – when I meet others who have great ideas that I identify with – I don’t enjoy it so much when people misunderstand what it means or say that we should be past that by now.  I don’t enjoy criticism in general, so maybe it’s just that feeling of being put down that I dislike.”  This answer can be paired with her next comments on how being perceived as a feminist has been problematic.  “My Dad always complained about “those women’s libbers” when I was a teenager, and told me to stay away from them.  Other than him, I don’t think it has caused any problems for me.” She is unabashedly pro-choice and is in support of the freedom to marry.  She believes that same sex marriage is ultimately a feminist issue and affects many women and their families.

 

Is feminism or being a feminist fun?  Kathleen answered that,” it was not a matter of being fun or not fun, but more supportive than not supportive.”  Kathleen speaks of going to a feminist church as worshipping in a place where she feels supported.  Women facilitate many of the main functions of the church, which is discussed in the reading “Feminist Questions of Christianity.”  Caryn Riswold writes, “Feminists have been changing the sexist and misogynist tendencies of Christianity for generations.  Examples from the first wave, the second wave, and the third wave of feminism demonstrate clearly how Christianity is in places becoming a pro-feminist and pro-woman religion.  Continuing these efforts now is essential for the well-being of women and men around the world” (Riswold, 2012). The church that Kathleen attends makes some changes in the verbiage during the sermons. Riswold writes, “In the modern world, significant attempts to critically engage the Christian tradition gained public attention with the writings of abolitionist women and suffragists, like Sarah Grimke, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Matilda Joslyn Gage.  Grimke wrote Letters on the Equality of the Sexes in 1838, and in these letters se criticized sexist interpretations of a variety of biblical texts in order to make her case for the equality of men and women” (Riswold, 2012). 

 

Being a single working parent does not leave Kathleen with a lot of free time.  In the past, her free time was spent reading feminist books. I did briefly touch on the topic of how she gained her feminist voice and Kathleen talked of being married at one time in her life.  Even at that time, education was very important to her and her future husband, so they did not marry until she had completed her first degree. She attended a community college in California, and then finished her degree at St. Kate’s University in Minneapolis.  Attending an all-women’s school was both empowering and enlightening for her.  She saw how strong a group of women can be when they are not competing with males or against other females for male attention.  Although her marriage did not work out, she has a wonderful daughter as the result of their union.  Being a single parent has also brought her out of her shell to become more outspoken not only for herself but also for others she sees as oppressed.  Kathleen truly stepped out of her comfort zone in a trip she made to Ethiopia as the winner of Levi Strauss’s Watertank Challenge. I have included the website for those interested in seeing pictures and reading about the experience of bringing fresh drinking water to a remote Ethiopian village. “Ultimately, the WaterTank challenge resulted in a winner – Kathleen McDonald from Minneapolis. That's her in the middle of the picture, with her daughter, Maddy on the right and me on the left.See picture below” (Sornberger, 2011).  

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a feminist, Kathleen feels very grateful for being a woman and for having the strength to fight the fight for all of us.  Ultimately, we would not be living the lives we do today if not for those women who were unafraid to go to battle for us.  And, for that, I will be eternally grateful.

 

Friedan, B. (1963). The Feminine Mystique. New York: W.W. Norton and Co.

Riswold, C. D. (2012). Feminist Questions of Christianity. In S. M. Shaw, & J. Lee, Women's Voices, Feminist Visions (p. 634). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Sornberger, L. (2011, December 22). From Minneapolis to Ethiopia. Retrieved from LS&Co. Unzipped: http://www.levistrauss.com/blogs/minneapolis-ethiopia