By Felicia Maxwell - To cheers, applause and laughter, Martha Burk reviewed feminism in the United States with a story about the National Press Club, where she was a luncheon speaker Friday.

Washington, D.C. - Scripps Howard Foundation Wire - infoZine - The former chairwoman of the National Council of Woman's Organizations, best known for challenging the male-only policy at the Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters golf tournament, reminded the mostly female audience that until 1971, they wouldn't have been at the lunch tables.

She read a passage from "The Girls in the Balcony," a book by former New York Times reporter Nan Robertson. The book describes an era of gender inequality in the media, when women were only allowed to report from the club's small balcony, while men were able to get seats on the floor and question speakers.

"Girls, welcome to the floor of the ballroom," Burk said.

Burk's first question, and the majority of her speech, addressed, "Where are we now in terms of politics and political clout?"

"Women vote differently than men. Women have different priorities than men," Burk said. "Women are the majority. They can control any election."

But issues and tactics were the core of the discussion, and Burk discussed three hot-button topics: guns, gays and abortion. Burk called the topics cultural issues that distract from what voters really care about. She advised politicians: "If you want to win elections, you must abandon those issues."

She said seven-eighths of new senators are pro-choice, abortion restrictions in California and Michigan were defeated and six minimum wage initiatives on state ballots were passed.

All were efforts that Burk, a feminist, supported. But support also came from men.

"Men are now in favor of women's rights as well as women," Burk said.

Burk reminded the audience that in the 1960s men felt that pay equity was a battleground and that women were taking something from them. Not anymore.

"Men are starting to get it," Burk said. And instead of viewing it as a gender issue, she said it is "a family issue."

She pointed to a victory this week, when Congress voted to raise the minimum wage, and reminded the audience, "Women are the majority of minimum-wage workers, and I'm not talking about teenagers, I'm talking about grown women."

Women make up the majority of the population, but their priorities are being placed on the back burner, especially in the media.

"Even though there are lots more women in the media, there is still a difference," Burk said. She referred to differences in pay and said a man leaving work early to get his car from the shop is usually treated sympathetically, but a woman forced to leave work early to pick up her children would be regarded as not taking her job seriously.

A question about abortion soon followed, and she was asked why, with so many other notable issues, such as health care and pay equity, abortion was always at the top of most debates.

"If you can't control your body, you can't control any other part of your life," Burk said. "We're constantly pushed into a corner to keep what we have."

Burk said women's priorities are different than men's and that "not sending children to Iraq and daughters to the back alley" are at the top of her list.

She added: "Women get more radical as they age."

Another question touched on helping women all over the world, especially in Afghanistan.

"We were sticking up for women in Afghanistan long before Bush knew about the country," said Burk.

But a question about feminism gave Burk pause. Burk described the term as a "loaded word," and came up with a possible replacement, "womanism."

"No matter what you call the word, some people are going to shy away from it," Burk said.

She added: "Men can be feminists and are feminists."

Asked about the $46 million settlement in a class action gender discrimination lawsuit against Morgan Stanley and what she would gain from such suits, Burk said, "You get their attention."

She said the Don Imus incident demonstrated that gender discrimination is not taken seriously. In a radio broadcast, Imus called the Rutgers University women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos."

"Had that been only about gender and not gender and race, Imus would have still been on the radio," Burk said. She said racial discrimination is taken more seriously than gender discrimination and the practice has to be stopped.

"Until we say we are going to hold you accountable, there will be no change," Burk said.

She added: "I think it's a shame that there are women who still don't get it, and it is our job to make sure they do."