"Feminist Borers from Within": The CBS Women's Advisory Council and Media Workplace Reform in the 1970s

Abstract

abstract: In the early 1970s, women who worked at the corporate headquarters of NBC, ABC, and CBS formed groups meant to correct gender inequalities in their workplaces. What began as informal measures taken by a small number of women soon expanded into organized, large-scale reform efforts. Once formalized, the women's groups shaped company policies, formed alliances among workers, and liaised between women employees and company executives for the betterment of women workers. With a focus on the most successful of the groups—the Women's Advisory Council at CBS—this article illustrates how feminist concerns found voice in a corporate media culture, demonstrates the value of a women workers' collective, and re-evaluates the tactics and players of media reform in the age of women's liberation.