Episode Recording -- "Female Rights Part II"

Alice Paul to the League of Nations [2:26-3:38]; [5:41-6:06]

On the consulting committee of the League of Nations, Paul spent multiple years of her life

compiling laws discriminating against women from every nation in the League. She presented

her findings to the League of Nations, taking everyone by surprise. This forced everyone to

realize the issues that the world was facing with gender equality and rights for women. Even

though she was a woman of few words with no husband, she dedicated her life to bringing about

change to females. She wanted change not only in the US, but also around the world.

 Mary Collson on Pacifism and Change [3:45-4:14]; [7:31-8:27]

Collson grew up a unitarian in religion, and saw her family oppressed from a young age. She

knew that she wanted to bring prosperity to people like her, and what a better opportunity to do

so through rights for women. Collson was among the first women to refuse typical low-income

not respected jobs such as Sunday School teacher or public cook. She promised herself that she

would not let herself have a similar fate to that of her family’s. Collson advocated for peace and

unity, something missing and shunned in her society.

Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 [4:33-5:12]

Title IX promotes female opportunity in the realm of sports, but also in the classroom. The idea

of treating women fairly both on the field and in the classroom is the highlight of Title IX. Under

Title IX, institutions have to fund both men’s and women’s sports equally, even if it comes to the

detriment of men’s athletics. Women are typically smarter than men in the classroom, so there is

no reason why men should be gaining unfair advantages over women in the realm of academics.

In 1972, some schools were still integrating to coeducation, so women in the same classroom as

men was a hot and controversial topic.

 Equal Rights Amendment [5:14-6:06]

Initially introduced to congress in 1921, the ERA spent many years in debate both in congress

and among the states. The amendment eventually failed in 1982, after falling just three states

short of ratification. The conditions and substance of the ERA were spearheaded and put togetherHenry Lindeman

April 24, 2025

by Alice Paul, who was mentioned earlier. Jo Freeman writes in her essay about social revolution

that in general, Paul advocated strongly for “removal of all legal discrimination against women.”

More Specifically, however, Paul demanded reparations for restrictions on women’s jury service,

the right to control their own property, and even the ability to take legal action such as sue.

 Equal Pay Act of 1963 [6:14-7:19]

The EPA focuses heavily on the equal wages of women to men’s salaries. Many iterations of the

EPA have been passed, but most have failed to actually enforce or truly equal wages among

genders. This act puts more pressure on employers to close wage gaps and to bring gender

inequality in the workforce to an end.

● Gloria Steinem [8:28-8:55]

Stienem discusses her oppression and overall myths of gender discrimination. She cites

biological roles as one main myth of this gender inequality. She talks about how women are

usually in low-income jobs with little respect behind them because men are only willing to hire

women who will work for less. She provides a call to action to all women to make a change in

their society.

 International Women’s Day [8:59-9:32]

Every Year on March 8th, women are celebrated for their fight for liberation and equality.

Sometimes, women take that day to maybe plan a strike or a demonstration. This is to bring

awareness to everyone who has maybe forgotten about the struggle for women’s rights, or who

has maybe taken advantage of women in the workforce.

{Elevator Music intro ~10 seconds}
Don Quirius (00:10):
Live from USH two podcast, your Daily Dose of Historical Factage. I'm Donald Quirius. My fellow
Americans. The equality of women in the public sphere has long been a controversial topic, and over the
past 60 years, much has been done to promote the equality of these women. While females did gain
more [00:00:30] opportunity throughout the 20th century, there were and still are, many shortcomings.
Women have been left underpaid and left out entirely in some cases. [Kelly M. Pena, “Pay Transparency:
A Remedy for the Gender Pay Gap?”, FLorida Bar Journal Vol. 98 Issue 2, (Mar/Apr 2024).] This under
appreciation has led to protests, boycotts, and even riots. Many women have tried to lead the charge
against his sexual injustice, but few have succeeded and become widely influential. Along with these
women, there is legislation that has strongly affected how gender discrimination is viewed and treated
in this ever-evolving society. [00:01:00] To start off this episode, let me remind you all of Susan B
Anthony's influence on the original women's suffrage movement and beyond.
(01:07):
Anthony was so influential that she now has her own Memorial Week. The week of her birthday,
February 15th, a town in Oregon holds a contribution demonstration, attempting to raise $150,000
yearly for the National Women's Suffrage Association. [“Suffragists to Raise Anthony Fund”, Oregonian,
January 1, 1911.] She led sit-ins and protests everywhere in the latter part of the 19th century to prove
that change [00:01:30] was needed. She was even arrested for voting illegally in the 1870s, a true
symbol of protest and bravery. [Rheta Childe Dorr, Susan B. Anthony, (New York, New York: AMS Press,
1970).] From her time forward, women everywhere looked to Anthony on how to bring reform for
women and how to not be afraid of oppression. More women began to have their voices heard, and
even though the process took time, women slowly began to gain momentum on the political and
economic fronts. A few women in particular moved to the forefront on behalf of all women when it
came to bringing about reform and change. [00:02:00] In Hillary Clinton's 1995 speech about gender
equality, she says this, [Hillary Clinton, “Secretary Clinton’s 1995 United Nations Speech,” Clinton
Foundation, September 5, 1995, 0:36-0:43, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7evFMipVZE.]
(02:13):
Clinton, as both Secretary of State and First Lady, advocates for equal rights of women all over the US.
But in my opinion, one woman in particular that was widely influential to most women everywhere was
Ms. Alice Paul. Paul was on the consulting committee for the League of Nations, back [00:02:30] in the
league's Prime, one of the two women on this committee. [Sue McNamara, “Three American Women
Lead Battle of Worldwide Citizenship Rights”, The Daily Alaska Empire, September 10, 1931, 4.] For more
on her great feats as activist and reformist, we bring in the guest today, one of my dear friends, expert
women's rights scholar, Zachary Efronov.
Zach Eforonov (02:42):
Good afternoon, Don.
Don Quirius (02:43):
Good afternoon, Zach. Glad to have you here today. Let me ask you what you know about the life and
legacy of Ms. Alice Paul.

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Zach Eforonov (02:50):
Yeah, Don. So as we look at Ms. Paul and her achievements, you have to start with her efficacy within
the League of Nations. As you mentioned, Don, she was on the consultative committee, [00:03:00] but
she did more than just sit in meetings. Paul spent over three years traveling the world and compiling
national laws on gender discrimination. Her dedication to the pursuit helped prove to the league that
change was necessary everywhere. She found problems with all 90 countries, taking the league's
attention by storm. [Sue McNamara, “Three American Women Lead Battle of Worldwide Citizenship
Rights”, The Daily Alaska Empire, September 10, 1931, 4.]
Don Quirius (03:18):
Wow, that is a lot of work. She must have had a lot of faith.
Zach Eforonov (03:22):
Yeah, she did. Don, and she did not have a matching personality in the slightest. Alice was a small
woman of very few words. [00:03:30] She remained single her whole life, dedicating her life to social
reform and activism.
Don Quirius (03:35):
Interesting, interesting. So since Alice Paul was so influential, who else could you maybe talk about that
brought about such reform and change?
Zach Eforonov (03:44):
Funny you asked Don. I was researching just today on a woman by the name of Mary Collson, a
Unitarian pacifist who sought balance and reconciliation for females facing discrimination. She, along
with some others, were among the first to refuse some stereotypically [00:04:00] female jobs, such as
Sunday school teacher and church cook. Being a unitarian, she grew up in an oppressed world. She saw
her family lose the prosperity they were promised, and Collson became determined to change that
reality within her grownup society. [Cynthia Grant Tucker, A Woman’s Ministry, (Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania: Temple University Press, 1984), 3-19.]
Don Quirius (04:15):
Wow. Zach, you clearly know your stuff. I'm glad you've been able to join us today. Thank you, sir.
Zach Eforonov (04:19):
Thanks, Don.
Don Quirius (04:21):
Okay, we will now move on to talk about women's legal rights over the course of their struggle.
{Elevator Music ~ 5 seconds}
(04:30):
[00:04:30] So as most people know, Title IX deals primarily with gender equality in the realm of
sports. The Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 deals heavily with promoting female

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athletics and institutions that are federally funded, even if that comes to the detriment of men's sports.
Mr. R Melnick writes that women excel more than men in almost every school related field other than
athletics, [R. Shep Melnick, The Transformation of Title IX: Regulating Gender Equality in Education,
(Washington D.C.:Brookings Institution Press, 2018), 3-4.] So there is no reason why Title IX should be so
controversial. [00:05:00] What a lot of people do not know, however, is that this section of the
educational amendments reaches beyond just sports. It also reaches into the classroom leading to more
gender integration within schools across the country. [R. Shep Melnick, The Transformation of Title IX:
Regulating Gender Equality in Education, (Washington D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2018), 3-4.
(5:14):
In addition to Title IX. A full amendment to the Constitution that was tried and failed after many
years was the Equal Rights Amendment or the ERA. The ERA was introduced to Congress originally in
1921, and went through years and years of debate [00:05:30] on the Congress floor before eventually
expiring in 1982, the amendment fell just three states short. The conditions and substance of the ERA
were spearheaded and put together by Alice Paul, who was mentioned earlier. Freeman writes in her
essay about social revolution, that in general, Paul advocated strongly for the removal of all legal
discrimination against, -- discrimination against women, excuse me. More specifically, however, Paul
demanded reparations for restrictions on women's jury service, [00:06:00] the right to control their own
property and even the ability to take legal action such as sue. [Jo Freeman. “Social Revolution and the
Equal Rights Amendment.” Sociological Forum Vol. 3, Issue 1 (Winter, 1988), 145.] I'll only mention one
more piece of legislation regarding gender equality, but just know there are many more out there. The
Equal Pay Act of 1963, Kelly Peña of the Florida Bar Journal writes that before the EPA was passed,
women earned only 70% of men's salaries. She also writes that this discussion of wage gaps [00:06:30] is
not new and has been at the forefront of female arguments even since the 19th century. [Kelly M. Pena,
“Pay Transparency: A Remedy for the Gender Pay Gap?”, Florida Bar Journal Vol. 98 Issue 2, (Mar/Apr
2024).] Peña states that the EPA prioritizing student employees puts massive amounts of pressure on
employers to raise wages for women. Ruth Bader Ginsburg mentions in her essay about the need for the
ERA, that the Equal Pay Act is just one of many iterations advocating for equal pay. There have been
many different names, many different acts, amendments to attempt [00:07:00] to have equal pay for
women, and most of them have failed for equal pay. During World War II, to the 1951 Labor
Organization mandate, men argue that "if women require more pay "without access to female labor at
bargain prices, employers will prefer to hire men". [Ruth Bader Ginsburg. “The Need for the Equal Rights
Amendment.” American Bar Association Journal, Vol. 59, Issue 9 (September, 1973), 1014.]
{Elevator Music ~4 seconds}
(07:24):
We now look at some notable protests and demonstrations that have taken place for the purpose of
women gaining equal rights. [00:07:30] Mary Collson, who we discussed earlier with Zach in the episode,
led many charges alongside her troops on banks, public parks, and even college campuses. Her marches
were known for starting with small audiences, sometimes even out of the back of cars, and growing to
unusually large sizes. [Cynthia Grant Tucker, A Woman’s Ministry, (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Temple
University Press, 1984), 130.] Collson also advocated for young startup female employees, sometimes
pushing them to form unions. Within these unions, Collson would drive women to [00:08:00] demand
more than a union typically would. She wanted these women to ask for more than the normal labor
demand, such as better conditions “within the existing capitalistic framework”. [Cynthia Grant Tucker, A
Woman’s Ministry, (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Temple University Press, 1984), 46.] Collson had been

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exposed to Marxist and social sympathies for a long time, where topics such as a collectively owned
public industry and a social commonwealth and harmony with God were regularly discussed.
(08:23):
Colson taught these sentiments to workers and show them how to demand more. [Cynthia Grant
Tucker, A Woman’s Ministry, (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Temple University Press, 1984), 47.] Another
influential female leader, Gloria [00:08:30] Steinem writes about her personal struggles against
discrimination. As a member of the Democratic Committee, one of her main points of emphasis is the
myths behind gender discrimination, such as biological roles. She calls on all women to become more
present on the political scene and to use the 51% of the population that is female to change society,
even more so than the Civil Rights movement. [Gloria Steinem, “ Gloria Steinem on Equal Rights for
Women,” The American Yawp Reader, 1970.] But I digress from our discussion. In Spain, every
[00:09:00] year, hundreds of protests and marches are held on International Women's Day to bring
attention to the discrimination historically faced by women everywhere. In 2019 in particular, millions of
women came out to see marches and demonstrations in over 120 cities, and over 120,000 women
participated. The 8M Commission, or the March 8th commission responsible for planning these strikes,
cite their reasons for doing so as "subverting the world order and pervading hetero patriarchal,
[00:09:30] patriarchal rhetoric." [El Pais, “On International Women’s Day, Spain Plans Strikes and more
than 500 Protests,” El Pais, Madrid; Barcelona, Spain, March 8, 2019.]
(09:33):
As I bring our episode today to a close, let me just point out that these are only a few examples of
women taking action to bring about change in their society. Women everywhere, as Colson points out,
have been subjected to this injustice for centuries. She, along with many others, have done everything
they could to bring women to a point of parity. The legal actions taken by the government to help
women is a direct result of the works of people [00:10:00] like Collson, and at its roots, Susan B.
Anthony. Their tireless feats of bravery and activism have not gone unnoticed, and rights for women is
an ever-evolving topic all over the world. Now, as I leave you today, let me point your attention to our
sponsor for the day: Elevator Music. I really could not have done it without you. And let me tell
everyone this: Together we can create a world where every woman has the freedom to live, thrive, and
succeed. Women's rights are human [00:10:30] rights, and no one should be left behind. Thank you.