Once upon a time (just a few years ago), psychologists believed that the way we chose to communicate was largely a function of personality. If certain conversational styles were more common to one sex than the other (more abstract and aggressive talk for men, for instance, more personal and equivocal talk for women), then this was just another tribute to the influence of biology on personality.

In The Problem with Rich Women, Gloria Steinem explores how and why feminism failed to reach women in powerful families, and provides an urgent and persuasive argument for rebellion among upper-class women.

Gloria Steinem offers her views on the interconnectedness between self-esteem and sexism, racism, politics, and physical and sexual abuse in this entertaining and educating program, recorded live in New York City.

In Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote that "We must also do away with the conception that the treatment of the body is the affair of every individual." It was a direct slap at the feminist movement of Germany in the late 19th and early 20th century, an influential force for, among other things, divorce, contraception, and abortion; in short, for a woman's right to control her own body.

This essay comes from the NPR series This I Believe, which features brief personal reflections from both famous and unknown Americans. The pieces that make up the series compel listeners to rethink not only what and how they have arrived at their beliefs, but also the extent to which they share them with others.