On this date in 1971, the University of North Dakota's student newspaper, The Dakota Student, reported on remarks made by visiting speaker Lucy Komisar at the Memorial Union the previous day. Komisar, now a political radical, feminist, theater critic, and author known for her praise of Julian Assange, was in 1971 serving as the vice president for public relations at the National Organization for Women. Earlier that year, she had published her book, The New Feminism. In it, Komisar criticized misogyny and systemic discrimination against women. Her chapter “The Message of Anthropology” drew on Margaret Mead’s research to demonstrate that gender roles vary by society and argued that masculinity and femininity are social constructs.
According to The Dakota Student, “Komisar … prefers to use the title ‘Ms.’ because she does not feel marital status is important…” She argued that “girls are taught they're not competent” and pointed out that the average woman earned only 60% of what men made for comparable work, citing discrimination and societal pressure to conform to traditional roles such as child care.
Komisar’s primary focus during her talk at UND was on child care and her belief that it should be the government's responsibility to provide it. She was quoted as saying: “the lack of child care centers is an effective way of preventing women from realizing their potential. All of these things work together to keep women in a position where they have no choices.” She advocated for women to “have the right to define their own lives and decide what they are going to do.”
She further argued that child care should be handled by centers rather than being the sole responsibility of mothers. In a subsequent speech later that year to the Boeing Management Club in Wichita, Kansas, she said: “women have come to believe that no one can take care of your kids but you. This is especially prevalent in women who’ve sacrificed careers or education to have a baby.”
Universities often invite controversial speakers to campus to expose students to points of views they might not have heard otherwise. Komisar’s visit was an example of such an opportunity.
Dakota Datebook by Andrew Alexis Varvel
References:
- “'Girls Taught Incompetence': Feminist Discusses Rights”, Dakota Student, 9 September 1971, pages 1 & 8.
- To provide some understanding of Lucy Komisar's politically heterodox worldview, her website “The Komisar Scoop” is a useful indicator.
- https://www.thekomisarscoop.com
- https://guides.library.harvard.edu/c.php?g=310929&p=2073150
- Lucy Komisar, “The New Feminism” (New York: Franklin Watts, Inc.: 1971), 182 pages.
- Ibid. Chapter 19: The Message of Anthropology. Pages 141-151.
- “Day Care's for Everyone Says Lucy”, Wichita Beacon, 8 December 1971, page 1B.
