Introduction to “Father's Day”

The mid-1970s represented the second period of the feminist movement, which began in the early 1960s. Whereas the initial movement dealt with legal obstacles to equality, such as voting and property rights, the second stage addressed inequality in sexual, family, and reproductive rights. In 1973 the Supreme Court, in its monumental Roe v Wade decision, gave women the right to decide about their own bodies. During this time, Gloria Steinem, a feminist, journalist, and social and political activist, became nationally recognized as a leader of, and media spokeswoman for, the women's liberation movement. In 1969 she wrote an article, “After Black Power, Women's Liberation,” that catapulted her to national importance as a feminist leader.

It is within the context of the feminist movement that AnnaLee Wilson discusses her struggles to balance her energy and devotion among family, parents, work, and her own self. In “Father's Day” you can feel her intense conflict about having her own family and business, a rare occurrence in the 1970s for a woman. She describes in detail these complicated emotions and thoughts that had so much gravity for her. AnnaLee was an active participant in the early feminist movement in that she owned her own business. She describes the pride, pain, and dilemmas of a woman living a full life during a time when women were only first being recognized. She has woven together an emotionally absorbing essay about her strivings in those early feminist years.

“When I wrote ‘Father's Day,’” she said, “I was wrestling with how much I owed my parents and how much I owed myself. The dilemma had always been huge for me… .” In the end, she did it all.

Pieces submitted to this section should describe an emotionally engaging and compelling experience in the author's personal life. Subjects can be autobiographical or creative nonfiction, depicting something memorable. The “Lives” section of The New York Times Magazine represents the k