‘Good Girls Revolt’ Author Discusses Groundbreaking 1970s Sex-Discrimination Suit Against Newsweek

“Women in Revolt,” a feature story about the nascent feminist movement, was the cover of Newsweek magazine on March 16, 1970. That same day, 46 female Newsweek employees announced that they were suing the magazine, then seen as an advocate of the civil rights movement, for sex discrimination. Lynn Povich, author of The Good Girls Revolt: How the Women of Newsweek Sued Their Bosses and Changed the Workplace, was there that day as one of the plaintiffs. She shares with ABA Journal Web producer Lee Rawles what led to the suit, the actions of the male bosses, and what effect the lawsuit had on the careers of the women involved.

Reviews:

The New York Times: “‘Good Girls’ Fight to Be Journalists”

NPR: “‘Good Girls Revolt’: Story Of A Newsroom Uprising”

San Francisco Chronicle: “Lynn Povich writes ‘Good Girls Revolt’”

Slate: “What’s Changed, and What Hasn’t, Since the Women of Newsweek Sued Their Bosses”

Washingtonian: “Book Review: ‘The Good Girls Revolt’ by Lynn Povich”

Listen to the Podcast

In This Podcast:

Lee Rawles
Lynn Povich began her career at Newsweek as a secretary. In 1975, she became the first woman senior editor in the magazine’s history. Since leaving Newsweek in 1991, Povich has been editor-in-chief of Working Woman magazine and managing editor/senior executive producer for MSNBC.com. (Photo by Christian Steiner)