Mothers and Daughters in Politics

The forum was a part of a celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the National Women’s Political Caucus. The goal of the caucus is to elect more women to political office. The speakers at the forum explained how to pass on the feminist legacy to the next generation and how to encourage women’s political leadership. Each panelist was allowed three minutes to describe her experience in politics and her assessment of feminism. Ms. Friedan, the first speaker, was one of the first women to define the issues of women’s participation in society. She discussed the importance of mother-daughter relations and how feminist thinking needs to be instilled in every generation of women. Ms. Ferraro announced her plans to run for the Senate and described the changes in women’s politics since her childhood. Her daughter, Donna, explained the pressures involved with living up to her mother’s feminist ideals. Anika Dyrstad explained the transition of her mother’s career as she moved from holding a ma close