By Kathleen Guthrie Woods
I stumbled upon this fantastic interview of Gloria Steinem in which she addresses—among other thought-provoking topics—how she felt about being single and childfree during a time when “women weren’t seen as much as a voice but more barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen.”
I don’t want to print any spoilers, so I hope you’ll read it for yourself. Let me just say she inspires and empowers me and, like her, I am a “hope-aholic.”
Ms. Steinem is someone we would call a chero here, a hero who happens to be childfree. She is one of many included in the PBS documentary MAKERS: Women Who Make America. You can learn more about the Makers initiative and the documentaries here.
Kathleen Guthrie Woods is a Northern California–based freelance writer. She is mostly at peace with her childfree status.
It’s very inspiring to read about women like Steinem, however, she chose to be child free and I think women who want a career, and child are also inspiring. It’s hard for me to be a ‘hope-aholic’ when I know my hope of ever having children will never happen. Thanks for sharing the information.
I loved the article. Thanks, Kathleen! I think that I might be a “hope-aholic” too. Not about having children – although I once felt like Sherry does, I no longer do – but about living a good life, and hoping desperately that one day that the sexism that Ms Steinem has fought against all her life will show signs of abating.
Gloria Steinem is one of my personal heros/heroines/cheros 😉 for all that she has done for all women. I saw her speak once, about 20 years ago, and another time spent my lunch hour lined up in a bookstore to get her to sign a copy of her new book for me. I can’t believe she is 80, and I sometimes wonder who will pick up the torch when she is gone.