When the ‘Good Girls’ Revolted

Explicit content warning

12/01/23 • 19 min

In Retrospect with Susie Banikarim and Jessica Bennett

The men in the office called them “Dollies,” and they had had enough. In 1970, 46 women who were not allowed to be writers sued Newsweek magazine for gender discrimination – paving the way for generations of women journalists to follow. Jess reflects on discovering that story when she was a young staffer at Newsweek four decades later, and how it led to her first book, Feminist Fight Club, which was inspired by those women. Plus, Susie asks what’s changed for women reporters today.

FOR MORE:

Are We There Yet? Forty Years Later, Revisiting a Landmark Sex Discrimination Suit (Jessica Bennett, Jesse Ellison and Sarah Ball, Newsweek, 2012)
The Good Girls Revolt: How the Women of Newsweek Sued their Bosses and Changed the Workplace (Book by Lynn Povich)
Good Girls Revolt (Amazon TV series based on the book)
Feminist Fight Club: A Survival Manual for a Sexist Workplace (Book by Jessica Bennett)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

FOR MORE:

Are We There Yet? Forty Years Later, Revisiting a Landmark Sex Discrimination Suit (Jessica Bennett, Jesse Ellison and Sarah Ball, Newsweek, 2012)
The Good Girls Revolt: How the Women of Newsweek Sued their Bosses and Changed the Workplace (Book by Lynn Povich)
Good Girls Revolt (Amazon TV series based on the book)
Feminist Fight Club: A Survival Manual for a Sexist Workplace (Book by Jessica Bennett)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Previous Episode

The Marriage Myth (Pt 2): Who Needs ‘Mr. Right,’ Anyway?

In Part 1, Jess and Susie dissected how a salacious Newsweek report about women’s likelihood of getting married sparked a national panic. Here they share their own views on marriage – and unpack what we’d make of that silly story today. (If you haven’t listened to Pt 1, we recommend starting there!)

Guests:

Sharon Attia, associate producer for IN RETROSPECT and resident young millennial

FOR MORE:

Revisiting Newsweek’s ‘More Likely To Be Killed By a Terrorist Than Marry’ Story (The Atlantic, 2016)
‘I Don’t’: The Case Against Marriage (Jessica Bennett and Jesse Ellison, Newsweek, 2010)
Modern Love: Missing the Love Boat (Jessica Bennett, NY Times, 2012)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Next Episode

The Vilification of Robin Givens (Pt 1)

In 1988, the actress Robin Givens and her husband Mike Tyson, the heavyweight champion of the world, gave a television interview to Barbara Walters addressing persistent tabloid rumors that their marriage was violent. In a stunningly honest moment, Givens admitted, with Tyson by her side, that she was tormented by her husband's physical abuse. In this episode, Susie and Jess revisit that interview, the vicious public response and what it revealed about what it means to be a victim in America.

FOR MORE:

Mike Tyson And Robin Givens Are Interviewed Amid Rumors (ABC News)
Robin's Sad Song (People, 1988)
The Woman America Loves To Hate (Sun Sentinel, 1988)
Through the Storm: Robin Givens (Essence, 2020)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Retrospect with Susie Banikarim and Jessica Bennett - When the ‘Good Girls’ Revolted

Transcript

Speaker 100:00:04.200

Where this story really begins is the place where all good revelutions begin, which is the ladies. Right. Yes, I'm Jessica Bennett and I'm Susie bannakerm. This is in Retrospect, where each week we delve into a cultural moment that shaped us and that we just can't stop thinking about. Most of the time we'll be diving into the past, but sometimes there will be a thread we want to follow up on. This is one of us. So, jess we released an episode abo