Caroline Bird Mahoney (1915–2011) was an American feminist author.

Early life and education

Born on April 15, 1915, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, Caroline Bird became the youngest member of the Vassar College class of 1935 at the age of 16, but left after her junior year to marry; she later earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree at the University of Toledo and a Master of Arts degree in

comparative literature Comparative literature studies is an academic field dealing with the study of literature and cultural expression across language, linguistic, national, geographic, and discipline, disciplinary boundaries. Comparative literature "performs a role ...

at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

Career

Her books include ''The Invisible Scar'' (1966), ''Everything a Women Needs to Know to Get Paid What She's Worth'' (1973), ''Case Against College'' (1975), ''The Crowding Syndrome: Learning to Live With Too Much and Too Many'' (1976), ''Enterprising Women'' (1976), ''What Women Want'' (1979), ''The Two-Paycheck Marriage'' (1979), ''Second Careers'' (1992), and ''Lives of Our Own'' (1995). Her book ''The Invisible Scar'', about the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, was named by the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

as one of the 100 most significant books of the year. Caroline's 1968 book, ''Born Female: the High Cost of Keeping Women Down'', grew out of an article on discrimination against women in business that was rejected by '' The Saturday Evening Post''. Years later when Sofia Montenegro, an award-winning

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

n journalist and prominent feminist activist, was asked how she became a revolutionary, she said that she would never forget the book that had changed her life; she was 16 years old when she read ''Born Female: the High Cost of Keeping Women Down''. According to the ''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...

'', the first time the term ''

sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...

'' appeared in print was in Bird's speech "On Being Born Female", which was delivered before the Episcopal Church Executive Council in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich ( ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 63,518. It is the largest town on Gold Coast (Connecticut), Connectic ...

, and subsequently published on November 15, 1968, in ''Vital Speeches of the Day'' (p. 6). In 1977, Bird became an associate of the

Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press (WIFP) is an American nonprofit publishing organization that was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1972. The organization works to increase media democracy and strengthen independent media. Basic informati ...

(WIFP). Bird was a consultant to the National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year in 1977 and was the chief writer of its report, ''The Spirit of Houston'' (1978). In 1979, the Supersisters trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Bird's name and picture.

Personal life

She married Edward A. Menuez in 1934 and they divorced in 1945; in 1957 she married J. Thomas Mahoney, who died in 1981.

Death

She died on January 11, 2011, in

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

Papers

The Caroline Bird Papers, 1915–1995, are held at the Archives and Special Collections Library, Vassar College Libraries.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bird, Caroline 1915 births 2011 deaths 20th-century American Episcopalians 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American women writers University of Toledo alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni 21st-century American women American feminist writers