"There are eternal differences between men and women," said political author and commentator Phyllis Schlafly at a speech last week at AU.
Schlafly lashed out at the women's liberation movement of the 1960s and today. "They said they wanted liberation - what they meant was liberation from home, husband, family and children."
She railed against past and present forms of feminism and encouraged young conservatives to continue their war against what she called the "sexual harassment Gestapo" in a speech to about 95 people in the University Club in Mary Graydon Center on Thursday.
Working through the history of American feminism, Schlafly called comparable worth, the feminist theory designed to overcome workplace discrimination, a "form of socialism," adding that the real goal of comparable worth advocates is to "change human nature and to change the world we live in...I would posit that feminism is not compatible with free enterprise."
Though many of Schlafly's comments were met with nods of approval from much of the audience, the question-and-answer session following her speech made it clear that not all in attendance agreed with her views.
Asked to explain her opposition to women serving in the military, Schlafly said it was an issue of national security, and that "if co-ed armies were the way to win, some of these dictators would have figured it out by now."
Her view that one parent should always stay home to raise a family's children was challenged by one woman who insisted that there are some situations in which a family has nothing to go on except two salaries, and that both can be necessary to providing for children.
Schlafly responded by saying that "people need to deal with economic problems as they come up," adding, "in the Great Depression, we didn't have any government assistance, and my mother worked while my father stayed home and raised us properly."
During a reception following her appearance, she offered advice for the future of the Republican Party. Calling the 1964 nomination of Senator Goldwater following the publication of her first book, "A Choice Not an Echo," which advocated his candidacy, a "personal victory," she said that since the end of the Reagan era "conservatives have sort of eviscerated and become the Bush Party."
Schlafly also used this time to explain the roots of her beliefs.
"I was raised in a very stable family, with a mother and a father, and I just never thought it could be any other way."
"I think her style is provocative and her message is definitely reflective of the conservative viewpoint," Tom Osadnik, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, said. "She is a true icon in the conservative movement and we were so grateful to have her come and reveal the fallacies of liberal feminist."
Ellen Davis, a freshman in SPA, said she was taken aback by how angry Schlafly was.
"She reminded me of an older version of Ann Coulter in that way," she said.
Davis said she thought Schlafly spoke well, but that she personally prefers speeches that aren't so attacking in their manner.
"She brought up a lot of good ideas that got me thinking, but parts of it did seem like she hadn't evolved to keep up with modern feminism," she said.
This event was the first part in the Kennedy Political Union's two-part Feminism Debate. The counterpoint, by former National Organization of Women President Patricia Ireland, will be at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 16th. The location is subject to change, but it is expected to be at the University Club.
