LASUREROSELLA

Interview with Rosella Lasure

 

 

 

 

Lasure This interview with Rosella Lasure by the "Oral History Department" at San Diego State University for a "women in politics" series. The tape has a very annoying loud hum. Lasure went to law school and was admitted to the bar of the State of California and worked for the State, eventually working in private practice. She has worked for clients claiming employment discrimination and expects that there will be more such lawsuits. In this interview she remarks on the lack of women lawyers, particularly in the larger law firms, calling the situation a "closed fraternity" of attorneys. She avers that it is "who you know" that helps get a position. She suggests that larger companies will have to turn to affirmative action to "rectify the injustices." Lasure recounts an instance in which she believes she was discriminated against. She says that "many men underestimate the skills and talents of a woman" when preparing for a case, which could be an advantage for a woman lawyer. Lasure states that many people are "turned off" by the women's movement because they don't understand it, referring to her membership in the National Organization of Women (NOW). She is disturbed by the "misrepresentation" of the women's movement in "the media" and echos Betty Friedan's suggestion that the more radical elements may have been infiltration by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). She mentions that NOW's concern about lesbians may be adversely affecting its public image. As for abortion she is a Catholic, but she should be the decision of the woman involved.

Rosella Lasure; Women in politics; Lawyers; Attorneys; California State bar examination; Employment discrimination; Equal opportunity; Discrimination against women; NOW; National Organization of Women; Central Intelligence Agency; CIA; Betty Friedan; The Feminine Mystique (book)

 

California - San Diego

© San Diego State University. All rights reserved.

 

 

English

 

Audiotape

00:35:33

No

 

 

 

Audio

MP3

16.27 MB