Dialogue with Eleanor Smeal

FMF President Eleanor Smeal answers questions about the feminism and shares her experiences in the movement.

Q: How can we draw young people into the women's movement?

Eleanor Smeal: We are drawing young women into the movement. Right now polls show that our greatest support is among women 18 - 24 years of age. In fact, over two-thirds of them support the women's movement. The best way we can convert this support to activism is by providing activities that young people can participate in. Our organization has internship programs, we are organizing on college campuses all over the country and we are organizing online through our feministcampus.org interactive Web site.

Q: When do you think a woman will be elected president. Would you vote for a republican woman?

Eleanor Smeal: The feminist movement is not alligned with any political party. We have always voted for the candidate who most strongly supports the rights of women -- abortion rights, pay equity, realligning budget priorities, equality for women in Social Security, women's human rights globally, peace, equality in education and sports ... These are the issues that drive the gender gap. As the saying goes, "Women were not born Democrat, Republican, or yesterday."

Q: Let's talk about fighting the feminist backlash. 10 years ago, 50% of American women proclaimed themselves feminists. Is this still the case?

Eleanor Smeal: Feminists indeed are still the majority. In the first place, it is over 50% of women in the polls who self-identify as feminists. Polling consistently shows strong support for the women's rights movement among all categories of women. That's why we call ourselves the Feminist Majority.

As far as the backlash goes, it is being driven by the same forces that have fought an increase in women's rights. Repeatedly, our opponents declare that the feminist movement is dead and there was a period in which they talked about the post-feminist era. Although they keep hoping that we are going to go away, our numbers keep increasing and the number of organizations working on women's rights programs continues to increase.

Q: Do you think the next generation will take for granted the opportunties and advantages they've grown up with such as reproductive freedom and their wide variety of career choices?

Eleanor Smeal: One of our dreams has been that all women and girls assume that they have equal opportunities and reproductive freedom. Young women today believe that these rights are indeed inalienable. But they also know that their rights are under attack every day and we have found that they are willing to stand up for their rights at every opportunity. As I said before, young women are the strongest supporters of feminism. And once they know that their rights are at stake they mobilize the most heavily. Right now I am doing a speaking tour on college campuses dicsussing these issues with feminists on campus. The response has been phenomal, and these young women are dedicated to both preserving and expanding women's rights in the US and globally.