Title: Oral History Interview with Juanita Kreps, January 17, 1986. Interview C-0011.
Identifier: C-0011
Interviewer: Haessly, Lynn
Interviewee: Kreps, Juanita
Subjects: University administrators--North Carolina    Women economists--North Carolina    Women in politics--North Carolina    
Extent: 00:00:01
Abstract:  Juanita Kreps grew up in coal-mining Harlan County, Kentucky, but eventually made her way to Durham, North Carolina, where she earned a Ph.D. in economics, and Washington, D.C., where she served as Secretary of Commerce in the Carter administration. In this interview, Kreps remembers a career, as she puts it, "of proposing things before people are ready to accept them." Such things included the notion that women should seek out satisfying careers, a proposal to extend the age of eligibility for Social Security, and that day care should be provided for working women. Kreps herself, a female academic during World War II and already a professional success as women began to push for economic equality, was ahead of her time. This interview provides a brief biography of a woman who made a strong case for women's rights before the women's movement gained momentum.