Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Finding aid for the Sexism board game 6284
6284
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries Special Collections
Title: Sexism board game
Creator:
Houger & McCaw
Creator:
Houger, Carolyn
Creator:
McCaw, Martin
Identifier/Call Number: 6284
Identifier/Call Number: /repositories/3/resources/3448
Physical Description:
0.83 Linear Feet
1 box
Date: 1971
Physical Description: Box: 18.5 x 27 cm. Board: 51 x 65 cm. Board game in original box, containing: two folded boards (one cardboard, one vinyl);
six playing pieces; 36 Woman chance cards; 36 Man chance cards; 35 Women role cards; 35 Man role cards; 18 voting cards ("sexist",
"in-betweener", "liberationist"); small plastic baby; directions (bifolium, 4pp.). INCOMPLETE. No list of items included,
but one Woman chance card, one Man chance card, two Man role cards, and all six "liberationist" voting cards have been copied
from a complete set. Light wear to box, pieces and cards otherwise in excellent condition.
Language of Material:
English
.
Container: 1
A board game, titled Sexism, published in 1971 in Seattle, Washington, created by Houger & McCaw (Carolyn Houger and Martin
McCaw), and sold by the National Organization of Women (NOW). According to the game's designer, Carolyn Houger, the game was
meant to "bring out the humor in the Women's Liberation Movement and, at the same time, sensitize people so they realize what
sexism means, for both men and women." The game's goal is to make it from the doll house at the start of the game to the White
House at the end. If the woman wins, it's proclaimed: "You are now a person, and must be treated as such for 24 hours. Nonwinners
may be treated as usual." Throughout, players draw both role and chance cards that place them in potentially sexist situations,
while progressing along squares addressing everything from beauty pageants and typing pools to abortions and divorce. The
game was originally sold for five dollars by NOW, mostly in the Seattle region. The board game is in its original box, which
contains two folded game boards (one cardboard, one vinyl), six playing pieces, 36 Woman chance cards, 36 Man chance cards,
35 Woman role cards, 35 Man role cards, 18 voting cards ("sexist", "in-betweener", "liberationist"), a small plastic baby,
and instructions for playing the game.
Collection stored off-site. Advance notice required for access.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Department of Special
Collections at specol@usc.edu. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Rights Statement for Archival Description
Finding aid description and metadata are licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Kate Mitas, Bookseller, November 15, 2023.
[Box/folder no. or item name], Sexism board game, Collection no. 6284, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern
California
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Feminism -- Study and teaching -- Archival resources
Feminists -- United States -- Archival resources
Second-wave feminism -- United States -- Archival resources
Sexism -- United States -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Board games (game sets)
Realia
Feminism -- United States -- Archival resources
National Organization for Women -- Archives
Houger & McCaw -- Archives
Houger, Carolyn -- Archives
McCaw, Martin -- Archives