Big Sister

More about the book

The mid-Seventies represented a watershed era for feminism. A historic National Women's Conference convened in Houston in 1977. The Equal Rights Amendment inched toward passage. Conservative women in the Midwest, saw an event like the International Year of the Woman as part of a conspiracy that would lead to radicalism and one-world government. Kempker delves into how conspiracy theories undermined second wave feminism in the Midwest. She views this phenomenon within the larger history of right-wing fears of subversion during the Cold War. Feminists and conservative women each believed they spoke in women's best interests. Though baffled by the conservative dread of "collectivism," feminists compromised by trimming radicals from their ranks. Conservative women proved adept at applying old fears to new targets