Image: Warren K. Leffler; Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C
Phyllis Schlafly, a beneficiary of feminism, died Monday at the age of 92. She was surrounded by her family.
Schlafly held multiple advanced degrees, including a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis. This makes her markedly different from women in recent history and in many countries still today, where they are often not permitted to read, much less pursue higher education.
She also ran twice for Congress and, despite losing both races, received votes from women who were guaranteed the right to vote in 1920 after the work of generations of suffragettes.
She owned property in her own name and served as the president of Eagle Forum, an organization she founded. Rights to work and own property have not been universally available to women, particularly during periods of history when women were considered chattel.
At the time of her death, she was involved in litigation to protect her good name without the need to have her husband be her proxy in legal cases. Women in early America were legally subsidiary to their fathers or husbands.
In spite of all the benefits of feminism that served Shlafly during her life and career, she was known for talking about feminism and other women in stunningly negative terms.
For example, she once said, ”It’s really dangerous for a guy to go to college these days. He's better off if he doesn't talk to any women when he gets there. The feminists are perfectly glad to make false accusations and then claim all men are capable of some dastardly deed like rape.”
Another time, she said, "Non-criminal sexual harassment on the job is not a problem for the virtuous woman except in the rarest of cases."
She also said, "By getting married, the woman has consented to sex, and I don't think you can call it rape.”
Schlafly's final book, The Conservative Case for Trump was released this year. I'm not planning to read it.
