Gloria Steinem recently spoke at Ms. Magazine’s 40th anniversary lunch-in. Gloria Steinem is a long time feminist, journalist, and political activist. She co-founded both Ms. Magazine and the Women’s Media Center, and has authored numerous books and articles. During her talk at this lunch-in, Steinem spoke in detail about how far the feminist movement has come, as well as where it needs to go in the future. Specific topics that she addressed included reproductive rights, equal pay, gay and lesbian issues, the 2012 presidential campaign, and domestic abuse.

Here are two excerpts from the video, which can be watched by clicking on the link.

On moving forward as a feminist movement:

“I think the backlash is problem number one, but problem number two is that the backlash takes the form of telling us that we’ve already succeeded… Young women are not feminists. Look at the public opinion polls! Young women are more supportive of feminist issues than older women are. It’s absolutely wrong, but that is the myth. You’ve already succeeded, that was yesterday… Part of what I think we need to rededicate ourselves to here today is an understanding that all great social justice movements must last something like a century if they are to be really deeply absorbed into the culture and understood to be normal and natural. We all absorb what we grew up with and it feels like ‘home’ and it familiarizes hierarchy or even violence sometimes in the home. So, it’s going to take generations to make the norm one of linking, not ranking. But we are, I would say, in this wave…we are at least 40 years into it…I don’t know how to break this to you, but we’re only half way!”

On the future:

“I hope that we will after today never again fall for the idea that it (the feminist movement) is over, or that it’s not necessary anymore or that it doesn’t have huge majority support. It does, absolutely. We have won the hearts and minds, but we have not won the power, the employers, the hierarchical religions. That’s the source of the backlash, that’s where it is. But one day, one day, we will get there.”

Source: Feminist News.