The most important advancement for women may’ve been the right to vote. But I am dismayed by continuing disparities between men and women in terms of pay, and the steel ceiling women haven’t been able to penetrate when it comes to accessing certain top corporate positions.

Furthermore, I believe that, although there were great advances made, in recent years there has been a bit of a back-sliding. As civil-rights historian Cheryl Townsend Gilkes told me last week, many young people today are oblivious to the history of struggles, and the great strides made since the 1960’s.

Stereotypes still prevail in many areas. Women like U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm having to walk around in business suits and so forth, in order to conform, rather than (literally) being allowed to let their hair down a little. What we’ve learned is that it’s fine and dandy to have a high-paying position near the top of the ladder, but it’s not okay to be on the top step.

I suspect that there won’t be a female U.S. president in any of our lifetimes. I doubt that there will be equal pay for equal work any time soon. Women will continue to be victims of domestic abuse, without adequate safety nets, in many areas.

I rail against these things, because I’ve experienced it in my own family. My mother slaved her life away in a hot kitchen, literally breaking her neck for near-minimum wage. A sister almost being killed by a psycho husband, with nowhere to turn.

I applaud the women - and men - who’ve fought so hard to level the playing field over the years.

Most important moment in US history for the advancement of women?

My initial thought was of the Suffragettes and the ordeals those women had to overcome, including Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, not only from society at large but they were also fighting against history.  In Britain, the Pankhurst women also come to mind.  The right for women to vote in free elections.  It is a showstopper of an answer to the question.

However, I then began to think of some of the women of the Civil War era and the female abolitionists who were actually early suffragettes, without the title, but who set aside their own desires for suffrage in order to join a greater cause;  the end of slavery in America.  Harriet Beecher Stowe is probably one of the most prominent of these women because of her anti-slavery novel.  But women like Harriet Tubman also come to mind.  Yes, I think this is the answer to the question… a time when women began for the first time to speak out publicly and to challenge the elected officials of the country and to question the very document that sets down the foundation of our government, The American Constitution.

The worst moment?  In America I am not sure.  In England it would have to be when the great Winston Churchill spoke out against the Suffragettes.  If I am not mistaken, I do think one of the women chucked something at him;  a piece of fruit?  I do not recall.   Does anyone here remember?

The successes and failures don’t have to be big to be important.  The little ones are so telling and have such a huge impact on their own.

There remain so many little advances women still need to make before the big ones will truly come to stay. We need to mentor each other and we need to celebrate ourselves and our predecessors.

Heard as I sat in a meeting of WLSA (Women’s Law Student Association) at my law school 2 years ago.  The officers were discussing that year’s celebration of women’s law day, the day to celebrate the acceptance of women at the law school.  Only instead of a discussion of who those women were and what they could accomplish, these bright and ambitious women spent almost an hour debating what pink outfits they would wear.

Or (worse? more exasperating? or just another?) this morning’s flip through the MSN portal (lifestyle section, my  life link) where I found to my delight a link for a special ‘women’s history month’ section
only to end goggling over my mug of morning tea when i discovered that the cover story for the section included perky photos of (young!)Farrah Fawcett and Jennifer Anniston:
 "The Hair Hall of Fame: Trendsetters of the last 70 years"

Now I like pink, and I do take my time fixing my hair in the morning but.. really?  These are the important issues and celebrations  for women in the 21st century?

That’s a tough question.  Of course, the Suffragettes and getting the right to vote.  But, I also think of what women went through to be able to go to Medical, Law and Architectural School.  The thought of a woman doctor at one time was inconceivable.

James is also correct.  I think we are obviously breaking the glass ceiling, and we are seeing daily the women that are making a difference in our world.  I do think of FDR, though, because his Sec’y of Labor throughout his administration was a woman, Frances Perkins, from 1933-45.  I wonder how she did it back then.  And Joan,  I think even at my age, I will live to see a woman president.  Have no doubt.

But, women in the developing countries are still in the Dark Ages.  Still chattel controlled by a very cruel social structure.  They haven’t discovered yet what they can accomplish when they empower themselves.  And, in places like Afghanistan, they are still prevented from even attending school. 

The best is certainly the right to vote.   The biggest setback… that we still subborn our needs to the wants of men.  That we STILL define ourselves using a male based value system   This plays out in so many ways, defining fashion with Laboutin heels that destroy our spines and our feet.  Requiring the Equal Rights movement to hate men to have validity.   We turn woman against woman, career lady against stay at home mom, when both are beautiful powerful role models.   We dress six year olds like tarts because all the role models out there for girls use sexuality to create appeal I don’t care if it is Barbie or Miley Cyrus.

Even the most powerful women stop short of creating a new paradigm.   Yes, Hillary is Sec.State and almost made it to the Presidency, but she had to (in her own mind) "stand by her man" to get the shot.   She put her hopes in Bill Clinton and had to suffer multiple humiliations along the way.  His wants always over rode her needs in his mind, and that was acceptable to her.   When will we create social sign posts that teach our daughters to honor their own needs first, and see masculine behavior for what it is without coloring it with fantasy or excuse. 

In terms of advancement getting the vote, Roe Vs. Wade, access to birth control (I’ve got a 69 year old friend whose doctor denied her birth control in her 20’s when she had four kids already), laws defining gender discrimination… all have been important steps.

However.. in the last decade I think we’ve seen our largest set back. it’s been a defining by the media of young women as nothing more important than their value as a sperm recepticale. That might sound harsh. but what we’ve done to girls with the copious amounts of internet porn, sexual videos, reality shows like "rock of love", "making of the band", "top model". We have so dumbed down the feminist movement and so dumbed down our expectations of women it’s incredible. The kind of abuse and demeaning behavior that girls are willing to accept is shocking. and we’ve done that with our celebrity worship and our unwillingness to protect girls from the media.

as you can see i’m passionate about this. It’s amazing to me. it’s horrible and irresponsible. when songs like "smack that" are top 40 songs and played every day like they are just "okay". were telling our girls they have no value. and i’m not a prude. i’m not a moralist. but i can see the affect on our kids. both male and female. we’re going to really regret this some day as a society. and if girls don’t stand up for themselves the consequences will be huge. I’m not sure they know how to stand up anymore. it’s been so ingrained in them to accept this that they dont’ know what’ it’s done to them.