United Front

Feminism has always conjured up different images in the minds of different people--from the early century suffragists picketing for women's right to vote to the Gloria Steinem supporters of the 1970's.

And Harvard, in its range of feminist perspectives, is no different.

Some groups, like the WLP, discuss issues that will face women in the corporate world as they try to balance professional with more traditional, family-centered, desires.

"I think the work-family/traditional-professional issue is one that may face many women on an almost daily basis once they leave Harvard," Lim wrote in an e-mail message.

And other campus feminists choose to tackle issues of female sexuality and social construction of gender roles.

But when it comes to pegging the big campus issues--like the Radcliffe merger and problems of sexual violence--women's groups usually find themselves in agreement.

"The two biggest issues, which most others agree, are sexual assault and the demise of Radcliffe," Orr says.

Similarly, on the scene of national politics, many feminists align themselves with the Democratic party.

But as feminist doctrine becomes more mainstream--most take it as a given that men and women should be treated equally--definitions of a particular party being pro-feminist have blurred.

Clancy says that President Clinton has alienated her. "I hate Bill Clinton, and I know a lot of feminists like him," she says. "So right now I'm anti-Gore, trying to see if he's distancing himself from Clinton."

Orr says he thinks many feminists come from a liberal background, or eventually gravitate towards liberal politics, because the left side of politics tends to be more vocal about what it wants.

"It tends to be liberals who are willing to speak out," he says. "It's not that conservatives think rape is a good thing, or isn't a problem, but liberals are ready to say 'we need more services, for women.'"

What the Future Holds

Twenty seven years after the United States Supreme Court's ruling on Roe vs. Wade--at a time when women can play professional sports and hurdle through outer space as astronauts--the brand of contemporary feminism that took shape during the 1960's and 1970's may seem like a thing of the past.

But it has only been several months since Radcliffe has officially withdrawn its influence from undergraduate life at Harvard, and absolute equality, in both academic and social settings, women say, is still a thing of the future.

And as long as students think there are gender issues left to be tackled, and everyday difficulties left to surmount, feminist ideology will continue to play an important role in campus activity.