Women Warriors
Born: October 27, 1940
(age 73) A Chinese-American writer, Kigston's two most famous books are The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among the Ghosts (1976), and it's sequel China Men (1980). The former won a National Book Critics Circle Award while the latter won the American Book Award. She considers the identity and treatment of Chinese-American women. she speaks on foot-binding, sexual slavery, and infanticide of female children. Born: January 7, 1945
Died: August 28, 2012 Firestone grew up in an Orthodox family in Ottawa, which by nature is not very open to women. At 25 she published her first book, The Dialectic of Sex (1970) that started up the focus on issues like birth and science. A radical feminist, she often used Marxist policies to back up her idea of the oppression of women. She was the founder of 3 feminist organizations; New York Radical Women, The Redstockings and New York Radical Feminists. Born: January 9, 1929
(Age 75) An Australian author, critic, journalist, and academic, Greer's views were radical and often times too strong. Her most successful book, The Female Eunuch (1970), was controversial and provocative, and told that women were ignorant while trying to gain them more rights. to Greer, accepting gender differences in a positive way was the same as equality, which was different from many feminist ideals of the time. She believed that women should gain their freedom by defying social norms and the value system. |
Born: February 4, 1921
Died: February 4, 2006 Friedan was a restless home-maker, and after interviewing other mothers who felt the same, she wrote The Feminine Mystique. The book encouraged women to make new opportunities for themselves. She co-founded NOW (explained on Advancing Actions), fought for abortion rights, and helped to organize the National Women's Political Caucus in 1971. Her other books include The Second Stage (1982) and The Fountain of Age (1993). Born: April 19, 1901
Died: February 4, 1980 Dr. Edith Feminist, politician, labor campaigner. It was rare for a woman to be a practicing doctor, and Dr. Summerskill was a member of the Married Women's Association. She publicly supported birth control & anesthetics during childbirth. Summerskill became Labor Party chairman, and wrote several books on female sexuality and education including Letters to my Daughter (1957). She served on several other political boards and often visited refugee camps to pleas equality for women and children. Born: September 25, 1911
Died: March 13, 1980 Lilian Masediba Ngoyi strongly believed that all African women, no matter their race, should have equal rights. She was the first woman elected to the African National Congress and helped to launch the Federation of South African Women. Because of her many illegal overseas trips to conventions and meetings, she was often in prison or under severe house arrest. Ngoyi was a key leader in the struggle against the apartheid and against the emancipation of women in South Africa and around the world. |