Bird, Caroline, 1915-2011

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Caroline Bird Mahoney (1915–2011) was an American feminist author.

Born on April 15, 1915, in New York City, Caroline Bird became the youngest member of the Vassar College class of 1935 at the age of 16, but left after her junior year to marry; she later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Toledo and a Master of Arts degree in comparative literature at the University of Wisconsin.

Her books include The Invisible Scar (1966), Everything a Women Needs to Know to Get Paid What She's Worth (1973), Case Against College (1975), The Crowding Syndrome: Learning to Live With Too Much and Too Many (1976), Enterprising Women (1976), What Women Want (1979), The Two-Paycheck Marriage (1979), Second Careers (1992), and Lives of Our Own (1995). Her book The Invisible Scar, about the Great Depression, was named by the American Library Association as one of the 100 most significant books of the year.

Caroline's 1968 book, Born Female: the High Cost of Keeping Women Down, grew out of an article on discrimination against women in business that was rejected by The Saturday Evening Post. Years later when Sofia Montenegro, an award-winning Nicaraguan journalist and prominent feminist activist, was asked how she became a revolutionary, she said that she would never forget the book that had changed her life; she was 16 years old when she read Born Female: the High Cost of Keeping Women Down.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first time the term sexism appeared in print was in Bird's speech "On Being Born Female", which was delivered before the Episcopal Church Executive Council in Greenwich, Connecticut, and subsequently published on November 15, 1968, in Vital Speeches of the Day. In this speech she said in part: "There is recognition abroad that we are in many ways a sexist country. Sexism is judging people by their sex when sex doesn't matter. Sexism is intended to rhyme with racism. Women are sexists as often as men."

In 1977, Bird became an associate of the Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press (WIFP). WIFP is an American nonprofit publishing organization. The organization works to increase communication between women and connect the public with forms of women-based media.

Bird was a consultant to the National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year in 1977 and was the chief writer of its report, The Spirit of Houston (1978).

In 1979, the Supersisters trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Bird's name and picture.

She married Edward A. Menuez in 1934 and they divorced in 1945; in 1957 she married J. Thomas Mahoney, who died in 1981.

She died on January 11, 2011, in Nashville, Tennessee. The Caroline Bird Papers, 1915–1995, are held at the Archives and Special Collections Library, Vassar College Libraries.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Caroline Bird papers, 1915-1995. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
referencedIn Davall, Irene. Papers of Irene Davall, 1971-1987. Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Woman Alive! Videotapes and program books, 1974-1977 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Women's Studies Lecture Series, Tapes-Manuscripts, 1971-1972. Temple University Libraries, Paley Library
creatorOf National Women's Conference records, 1975-1977. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
referencedIn Records, 1967-1990 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
creatorOf Bird, Carol. Correspondence with Theodore Dreiser, 1927. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Records of the Women's Equity Action League, 1966-1979 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
creatorOf Papers, [ca. 1966]-1979. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
referencedIn East, Catherine Shipe. Papers of Catherine Shipe East. 1941-1995 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Rawalt, Marguerite, 1895-. Papers, 1870s-1989 (inclusive). Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
creatorOf Records, 1975-1977. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
referencedIn East, Catherine Shipe. Papers of Catherine Shipe East. 1941-1995 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Friedan, Betty, 1921-2006. Papers, 1933-1985 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Papers, 1870s-1989 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Records of the Women's Equity Action League, 1966-1979 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Shigekawa, Joan,. Woman alive! produced by KERA-TV Dallas/Fort Worth and WNET/13 New York; made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; executive producer, Joan Shigekawa. Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
referencedIn Esquire, Inc. Records, 1933-1977 Bentley Historical Library
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Davall, Irene. person
associatedWith East, Catherine Shipe, 1916-1996 person
associatedWith Esquire, Inc. corporateBody
associatedWith Friedan, Betty, 1921-2006 person
associatedWith National Women's Conference. corporateBody
associatedWith Rawalt, Marguerite, 1895- person
associatedWith United States. Army. corporateBody
associatedWith United States. National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year. corporateBody
associatedWith Women's Equity Action League. corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
New York City NY US
Nashville TN US
Subject
Affirmative action programs
Businesswomen
Equal rights amendments
Feminism
International Women's Year, 1975
Marriage
Women
Women
Women
Women
Women and the military
Women's rights
Occupation
Women authors, American
Feminists
Activity

Person

Birth 1915-04-15

Death 2011-01-11

Female

Americans

English

Information

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