Anne-Marie Slaughter and Sheryl Sandberg might be hogging the limelight when it comes to the national debate over women in the workplace, but in little ol’ Vermont, it’s a veteran stateswoman who has taken up the banner for better access to childcare, paid parental leave and flexible work schedules — all factors that former governor Madeleine Kunin believes would encourage women’s leadership and participation in the workforce.
That advocacy is on display in the new documentary Madeleine Kunin: Political Pioneer, which debuts tonight on Vermont Public Television at 9 p.m. and is also available to stream online. The hourlong documentary is charts the private and political life of Vermont’s first woman governor. If you’ve been following the national debate about women in the workplace — or if you’re just eager to see some particularly rad, 1970s- and ’80s-era Statehouse archival footage — it’s worth a watch. (Keep your eyes peeled for former governor Jim Douglas’ particularly rad, plaid suit coat: fantastic.)
Watch Madeleine May Kunin: Political Pioneer on PBS. See more from Vermont Public Television Documentaries.
Writer, producer and director Catherine Hughes worked as a journalist for WCAX in the 1980s during Kunin’s three terms as governor. “Even I, who had paid some attention to her career, was still amazed when I really sat down and looked at everything she’s done,” says Hughes.
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