Guest Author - Kristin Bradfield

After 5 years of serving as the National Council of Women’s Organization Chair, Martha Burk, political psychologist and women’s equity expert will be stepping down to pursue a role advancing the Corporate Accountability Project which stemmed from her work as chair with Augusta National.

In a conversation via telephone, Martha tells Bella Online Women’s Issues Editor Kristin Bradfield what feminism means to her, what she feels is the biggest issue with corporate America’s treatment of women and why she feels younger women are so important to the women’s movement.

What woman has influenced you the most in life?
That’s hard, there are so many women that I admire greatly, but I would have to say Alice Paul who is really the reason that women have the right to vote. She was the first woman to picket the White House and to not be afraid of being militant about women’s equality.

What was your “feminist defining moment” or did you always feel you were a feminist?
I didn’t always feel as though I was a feminist and didn’t really have a defining moment, but gradually I realized more and more that women were not equal in society.

What does being a “feminist” mean to you?
It’s very simple really- social, political, and economic equality for women. So many think that it’s man hating, but it’s not, it’s wanting equality for women.

What was your first job? Did you realize then there was a gender pay gap?
Babysitting, but then my first real job was at Southwestern Bell in Houston in the 1960s. I was unaware at that time about the pay.

What surprised you most about the Augusta battle?
That corporations were not responsive to women’s groups and that they didn’t take sex discrimination seriously enough to stop sanctioning it through their membership in Augusta.

In an article I read, you mention “protesting with your pocket books” what did you mean by that?
Exxon Mobil spends several million dollars sponsoring Augusta, women when they pay at the pump should just be sure they are not paying it to ExxonMobil or other companies that discriminate against women.

What would you say to your critics, especially those who are women?
We have to fight discrimination wherever we find it- in places of formal business and informal business. IF we don’t have power in informal business halls then we will NEVER have power in formal business halls.

Your book is called “Cult of Power”- what did you mean by that?
The men at Augusta behaved like a cult. They had a vow of silence, especially in the face of public opposition. It was very cult like.

What are the biggest issues you see with corporate America and their treatment of women?
Pay gap and the promotional gap, and that they require people, not just women, but also men to work very long hours which is not very family friendly.

Many companies have statements saying they support women and diversity, and yet their main executives are all men? What do you think about this?
I think many companies use diversity programs as a fig leaf to cover up what they don’t really practice. They use the promotion of these programs to cover up so they don’t have to fix the pay or promotion gaps.

What are you most proud of with regard to your accomplishments?
Many things, but mainly bringing NCWO into the public eye and bringing to the surface that there is still a lot of discrimination in the workplace and that we have to overcome that.

What do you think is the most important thing we was women can do with regard to progress and change?
Vote for pro women candidates and to consider part of your job to bring other women up. Men have been doing this for centuries and it’s time women help our own.

You have committed a great deal of time and support to the younger women, specifically the Younger Women’s Task Force at NCWO, why is this so important to you?
If we want to continue to be a viable women’s movement, then we have to include younger women. They are the ones experiencing most the workplace discrimination, they are the ones who will suffer most if abortion rights are taken away, they are the ones who deal with workplace rights and childcare.

Who is the younger woman that you respect most and why?
Alison Stein, Founder of the Younger Women’s Task Force because of her energy and passion and her willingness to overcome obstacles. But I think there are many women like her who are leaders and I am encouraged by all of them.

What does this year look like in the life of Martha Burk, what lies ahead?
I have transitioned out of chair of NCWO and will now serve as chair for the Corporate Accountability Project and will spend this year calling attention to the corporate abuses for women at work. I am excited about the change that will surely follow.

The Younger Women’s Task Force will be celebrating Martha’s many accomplishments on Tuesday, November 22, 2005 in Washington , DC with an event entitled “Passing the Torch” satellite events will occur in other cities including Phoenix, AZ. For more information go to: www.ywtf.org

Martha’s book, Cult of Power: Sex Discrimination in Corporate America and What Can Be Done About It, is published by Scribner. She is co-founder of the Center for Advancement of Public Policy. For more information about Martha go to: www.marthaburk.com