Doris Anderson PHOTO: PETER KADELBACH

Anderson: Feminism's future secure

SYLVAIN-JACQUES DESJARDINS | Doris Anderson says if there is no future for feminism, then there is no future for the world. Anderson, who is a member of the Order of Canada and was editor of Chatelaine magazine from 1958 to 1977, made this statement during a spirited lecture entitled "The F-Word in the 21st Century: Where is Feminism Heading?" at McGill's Stephen Leacock Building on October 28. About 125 people hung on to Anderson's every word as she specified what feminism will strive to achieve in the next millennium. "Nothing less than to completely change the world." The women's movement, she stressed, is not solely dedicated to women's rights. "It's about working to make micro changes in society and macro changes in the world," said Anderson, who was also once the president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women. While the title of Anderson's talk may sound salacious, she quickly pointed out that feminism is not an F-word; it is an old and "honoured" title. "For young women, feminism is sometimes an F-word," she said, "since they have encountered no discrimination. But they should remember that they enjoy their very freedoms because of the work that went in years before." Women eventually see the need for feminism, Anderson said, "at 30, when they hit the glass ceiling in their careers and find themselves married with a double workload [of a job] and raising children." Being a feminist has never been easy, she said, "even though half the population is female." She added that feminism is constantly under siege. "Ever since I've been part of the feminist movement," she chuckled, "people have been predicting its imminent death, as though women (feminists) had contracted some ferocious virus." Feminism has also been wrought with misconceptions since its inception, the most common being that the movement is anti-male. "That couldn't be farther from the truth," Anderson said. "The women's movement has done as much for men as it has for women. It has liberated men, enabled them to reveal their emotions and to get closer to their children." Feminism is not a new movement, she said, and is over 200 years old. Its first wave came when the western world was transformed from a rural to an urban society. The movement truly crystallized when women fought for the right to vote -- a right that took over 50 years to obtain. A second wave emerged in the 1960s to correct injustices -- like men being paid double women's salaries. And 30 years ago, Anderson recalled, "a social worker could be sent to jail for giving a woman birth control, while abortions were illegal even when it was medically essential." Less than 20 years ago, she continued, sexual harassment was commonplace. "A [harassed] woman could do nothing but put up with it or quit her job." Anderson's talk turned to the environment when she said we have been reckless with life on this planet and are squandering our natural resources. "The Earth has survived 16 billion years and six major catastrophes," said the wife and mother of three sons. "It may survive another catastrophe, but we may not." As for our social systems, they have been slashed to the core by politicians that are acting like CEOs. "Even at a casual glance," she said, "one can see that it is not welfare mothers that are costing society the most." The biggest burden on our social system, she added, has been the shift in government taxes. "Thirty years ago, corporations paid 40 percent of taxes -- now that's down to 11 percent," she said, noting many people now work 60-hour weeks to make up the difference and maintain a decent standard of living. In her only jab at men, Anderson said when males want change in the world, they become nostalgic for the good old days. "But when women think of changing the world," she said, "they want to wipe out poverty, violence, sexual and racial [discrimination]." Women have always been at the forefront of social change, from promoting environmental awareness to anti-nuclear campaigns. "Like sugar in coffee," she concluded, "feminism too has dissolved throughout society." Anderson's talk was jointly organized by the McGill Women's Alumni Association and the McGill Centre for Research and Teaching on Women (MCRTW) as part of the annual Muriel V. Roscoe lecture series. The MCRTW is currently marking its 10th anniversary.