Transcripts

Commentary: The Ever Changing Role of Woman

SUSIE GHARIB: Tonight`s commentator looks at the past to look into the future of women in American society. Here`s Barbara Hackman Franklin, president of Barbara Franklin Enterprises and former U.S. Secretary of Commerce.

BARBARA HACKMAN FRANKLIN, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF COMMERCE: The recent death of Betty Friedan caused me to remember vividly her famous book, "The Feminine Mystique." When I read it, I was one of 12 women in a class of 680 men at Harvard Business School. We women students questioned whether we would have to choose between having a career and having a family. Conventional wisdom was that we could not have both. Friedan`s book was a catalyst which began to change the mindset about women and their role in society. Other things soon followed. The women`s movement gained strength. President Richard Nixon made a strong and successful effort to advance women in the Federal government. I was engaged in that effort on his White House staff. That spotlight brought equality for women squarely into the mainstream of American life and it rippled through our society. Today, women make a major contribution to the U.S. economy. There are nine million women-owned businesses. They employ 27 million people and contribute $4 trillion to our GDP. Women have gained footing in corporations as well. A recent study by Catalyst finds that companies with more women in top management have better financial results. Women make over 80 percent of consumer spending decisions and the majority of women also have families. Equality in the workplace is still far from perfect, but the progress has been tremendous since "The Feminine Mystique" appeared some 40 years ago. I`m Barbara Hackman Franklin.