Feminist for Choice from History: Elsie Clews Parsons
Elsie Clews Parsons was an early feminist, a sex radical, and an anthropologist. She is important to the pro-choice movement because of her role in spreading feminist ideologies, equality in relationships, advocating for more birth control, and promoting the general equality of women in society.
Clews Parsons was an original member of the Heterodoxy club, a group of Greenwich Village feminists, founded in 1912, who would met to discuss feminist issues. They met at popular cafes that feminists can still visit today. Members of the group were influential voices in the movement to revolutionize marriage and sex in the turn of the century. They were among the first to make the connection between sex and other types of empowerment. Clews Parsons herself spoke openly about the need for more sexual equality and for a more honest, open discussion about sexuality, things vitally important for the foundation of the choice movement in America.
Besides being influential in promoting progressive attitudes about relationships and sex, the members of Heterodoxy made vital progress for women’s advancement in their respective fields. Clews Parsons was an accomplished anthropologist and in fact became the first female president of the American Anthropological Association in 1940, an exceptional accomplishment for the time.
Elsie Clews Parsons’ memory is being honored by the American Ethnological Society, which awards a prize in her name every other year for the graduate student with the best paper.
I would like to honor Elsie Clews Parsons with a quote of hers that I love. Clews Parsons was heavily involved in the movement to revolutionize marriage away from Victorian standards to a more equitable partnership. An ideal marriage, Clews Parsons said, should be comprised of “reciprocity in passion, emotional integrity, and mutual enhancement of life.” Sounds like a recipe for a healthy relationship to me!
Sources:
Simmons, Christina. Making Marriage Modern. Oxford Press, 2009.
Minnesota State University “Elsie Clews Parsons.” http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/information/biography/abcde/clewsparsons_elsie.html
Wetzsteon, Ross. Republic of Dreams. Simon and Schuster, 2003.
1freewomyn
wrote on 12 June 2009 at 10:18
Thanks for sharing this, Janice. I had never heard of Elsie before, but something tells me we probably would have done it if I was around back in the day. :^) She sounds like a righteous babe.
2Janice
wrote on 12 June 2009 at 10:41
Thanks Serena! I am now accepting suggestions for a name for this feature, any ideas? Or perhaps Feminist for Choice from History works?
3freewomyn
wrote on 12 June 2009 at 13:52
Yeah, something snappy would be good. We’ll have to put on our collective thinking caps.
As far as people to write about, I’m intrigued by Margaret Sanger. She’s an obvious name, though. Her position on eugenics makes her such a troublesome feminist icon. On the other hand, where would we be without her?