Women were laughing and gasping as Gail Collins reminded them of how far they have come since the 1960s — from the days when a woman could be kicked out of traffic court for wearing slacks, or barred from teaching if her pregnancy showed.
Asked by an audience member if that progress could be reversed by conservative political forces or economic decline, Collins shook her head emphatically. “I don’t think so,†she said. “This is something that moves in one direction.â€