Alice Emma Rossi ( Schaerr; September 24, 1922 – November 3, 2009) was an American

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

and sociologist.

Biography

Her scholarship focused on the status of women at work, in the family, and their sexual life. Her writings helped to build the foundations of the feminist movement. Her early advocacy of

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

and reproductive rights caused her to gain a lot of national attention. One of her main academic pursuits was the study of people's lifecourse from youth to older age, particularly in the case of women. One of her most influential feminist articles was “Equality Between the Sexes: An Immodest Proposal.” First presented in 1963 at a meeting of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

, it was published the next year in the academy's journal ''

Daedalus In Greek mythology, Daedalus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Δαίδαλος; Latin language, Latin: ''Daedalus''; Etruscan language, Etruscan: ''Taitale'') was a skillful architect and craftsman, seen as a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and power. H ...

''. In the article, Rossi argued that for most women motherhood had become a full-time occupation, a state of affairs that hurt not only women but also the larger society in which they lived. For the well-being of both the women and the culture, she wrote, parity of the sexes is essential. This article's publication coincided with the publication the same year of ''

The Feminine Mystique ''The Feminine Mystique'' is a book by American author Betty Friedan, widely credited with sparking second-wave feminism in the United States. First published by W. W. Norton on February 19, 1963, ''The Feminine Mystique'' became a bestseller, i ...

'' by

Betty Friedan Betty Friedan (; February 4, 1921 – February 4, 2006) was an American feminist writer and activist. A leading figure in the women's movement in the United States, her 1963 book '' The Feminine Mystique'' is often credited with sparking the s ...

, which dealt with similar issues. Rossi's argument was considered subversive at the time. Her article can be found in the anthology “Life Cycle and Achievement in America” (Harper & Row, 1969), edited by

Rose Laub Coser Rose Laub Coser (born May 4, 1916 August 21, 1994) was a German-American sociologist, educator, and social justice activist. She taught sociology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook from 1968 until her retirement in 1987. She w ...

. In later work, also controversial, Professor Rossi argued that the cultural divide between men and women was not the product of

socialization In sociology, socialization (also socialisation – see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is the process of Internalisation (sociology), internalizing the Norm (social), norm ...

alone, as the prevailing view held, but was partly rooted in inborn biological differences between the sexes. Professor Rossi held appointments at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

, the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

and

Goucher College Goucher College ( ') is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Towson, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1885 as a Nonsectarian, nonsecterian Women's colleges in the United States, ...

before finally joining the

University of Massachusetts The University of Massachusetts is the Public university, public university system of the Massachusetts, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes six campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, University of Massachusetts Lowell ...

faculty, where she was appointed the Harriet Martineau professor of sociology. She remained there from 1974 until her retirement in 1991, at which point she became an

emerita professor ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some ca ...

. She also was the 74th president of the

American Sociological Association The American Sociological Association (ASA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology. Founded in December 1905 as the American Sociological Society at Johns Hopkins University by a group of fi ...

Major publications

* ''Generational Differences in the Soviet Union'' (1957) * ''The Feminist Papers: From Adams to de Beauvoir'' (1973, editor) * ''Seasons of a Woman’s Life: A Self-Reflective Essay on Love and Work in Family, Profession, and Politics'' (1983) * ''Gender and the Life Course'' (1985, editor) * ''Of Human Bonding: Parent-Child Relations Across the Life Course'' (1990) * ''Sexuality Across the Life Course'' (1994, editor) * ''Caring and Doing for Others: Social Responsibility in the Domains of Family, Work and Community'' (2001, editor)

References

External links

Papers of Alice S. Rossi, 1927–2009.Schlesinger Library
Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rossi, Alice 1922 births 2009 deaths American feminist writers American sociologists American women's rights activists Columbia University alumni Brooklyn College alumni American women sociologists American abortion-rights activists Goucher College faculty and staff 20th-century American women 20th-century American people Mary Wollstonecraft scholars 21st-century American women National Organization for Women people