Taking Women in New Directions by Paula Kassell is a fascinating collection of Kassell's key articles from the national feminist newspaper, New Directions for Women, which was published between 1972 and 1993. New Directions for Women recorded milestones reached and barriers broken as American women claimed rights previously denied to them.
The national newspaper focused on a range of issues critical to women's progress in all facets of society, including affirmative action in the workplace, activism and participation in politics and political campaigns, parental leave, sexual harassment, domestic violence, women in the military, and much more. Selected reprints in Taking Women in New Directions run the gamut from news stories and editorials to book reviews, columns on equal pay, on-the-scene reports from feminist conferences, and much more. Photos and line drawings that accompanied the original stories are included as well.
This insightful new book is filled with actual reprints of stories that built on the first wave of feminism and propelled women to make the great gains that ushered in the breathtaking milestones of the 21st century. Crusading writers and activists, many of whose words fill these pages, set the stage for the first women TV anchors, the advent of women as CEOs of multinational corporations, and paved the way for women to assume leadership roles in politics.
Now 91 years old, Kassell compiled the book because many young women today are unaware of the struggles their foremothers waged to achieve a measure of equality contemporary women tend to take for granted. The book also allows those who lived through those tumultuous times to relive the struggles of feministpioneers to gain parity with men in all aspects of life.
A strong voice for the feminist movement, Kassell used her platform as the editor of New Directions for Women to lead the crusade that was so close to her heart. Among her proudest achievements, chronicled in her book, was her successful campaign to persuade the New York Times to adopt the honorific "Ms."—instead of "Miss" or "Mrs."—in reference to women on its news pages.