Book Report - Equal: Women Reshape American Law

 I finished the book - Equal: Women Reshape American Law which was good, because of the women lawyers fighting to make the laws more equal in how they treat women, and depressing, because this book is not talking about the damn Stone Age, it only really goes back to the 1960s.  The Pregnancy Discrimination Act which actually made it illegal to discriminate against pregnant women (because earlier laws were deemed not to discriminate against women, but against pregnant persons, which is totally different) is only a year older than me.

 What struck me somewhat was not that there was some Evil Male Conspiracy to Keep Women Down (yes, there are some men who subscribe to that idea,I know) but just that men didn't realize anything was wrong.  It wasn't a problem.  It didn't affect them, so why should they care, or try to stop it?  The system was working out just fine for them.

 Only part of the book is actually applicable to my class - mostly the fight to get pregnancy recognized as a legit disability (in terms of employment disability coverage only), and the fight against sexual harassment in the workplace.

 It also showcases a verbal trick that still gets a lot of mileage.  The author describes an incident in 1985 when Strom Thurmond met with a delegation of women judges:  The room was a "bachelor's paradise,"  he announced.  "I want to congratulate you lady judges," he said, according to the Washington Post.  "You really don't look like judges, you look like young ladies."
 Old Strom had pulled an old trick: say something that sounds flattering, and if women complain, they sound bitchy.

 It's 450 pages of not light reading, but worthwhile if you're interested in the subject.

 DV