Martha Stewart verdict sparks anti-business feminism.

When it comes to Martha Stewart's trial and conviction, the majority of the women we surveyed are uncomfortable. Many are disturbed because they believe Martha got a bum deal because she was a woman.

Far more than most women, Martha is known for doing everything right. Whether or not women like her, she puts a female, do-things-right face on corporate America, and suddenly she is the one paying the price of for the widespread greed that many women associate with corporate power. The fact that most of her jurors were women makes the outcome even more uncomfortable because it "proves" that women know they are supposed to be held to a higher standard. Even women who didn't like her or could hardly stand her before the trial feel sympathy for her now, as if what was happening was something of an atavistic replay of the Salem Witch Trials starring Martha Stewart.

* "I think it is an outrage that Martha should spend any time in prison. Except for the Helmsley lady years ago, I do not know any other woman so sentenced for a single stupid, greedy perhaps, act. The men at Enron, and the men who deprived me of my fair return of the money we put into pensions for which we were offered the choice of 5cents [5 cents] on the dollar or to wait ten years for the rehab of the fraudulent folks who sold us a pension plan at work to get most of our money, without any interest of course [add comma] did not go to jail. Most money thieves do not go to jail. Martha will probably lose a lot of her business --the men there will see to it she does not just come back, be kissed and allowed to continue as a member of the club. I have never particularly liked her but she is getting a raw deal."

* "I guess Martha Stewart's crime was in lying, which was stupid, because telling the truth from the beginning would have probably gotten her out of going to jail. Still, I don't think a man of her stature would not have been found guilty."

* "Until the minds of the human race go through a huge, almost cosmic change and starts [start] truly caring about each other, a McDonald's will feature whatever will bring in the most profits, and the Martha Stewarts will regard themselves as above the law. Since male executives have been operating above the law for several years now, it's strange that she should be the one to pay for playing the game that all the big boys play."

* "I live in a condo with 640 units. Listening to the "inmates" ... the majority of women think she got a bum deal. The men sort of grin and say that women have no place in the business world and that she couldn't hope to compete in a man's world. This I take to mean that they think it's okay for a man to lie, cheat and steal but they feel that Martha got her come-uppance [comeuppance] and they feel rather smug about it."

* "Yes, I believe that unethical/illegal behavior IS widespread (Enron, for one). That doesn't excuse Martha Stewart, but it doesn't seem fair for her to go to jail when her illegal acts didn't hurt nearly as many people as Enron on Tyco."

* "I would not knowingly shop at and/or support a firm that I suspected of dirty dealing. When the al Qaida was causing all that trouble in Afghanistan, an e-mail was going the rounds, dunning different international firms (or their subsidiaries) that tacitly supported them (or did not support US)--I chose not to deal with these firms. That being said, although I DO shop at K-Mart, I won't shop there any more or less because of this."

* "With her powerful friends, I'm sure she did insider trading but I don't think that makes her corporation dirty. I've never bought any of 'Martha Everyday' household products like linens: I found them insipid (I like vibrant colors and earth tones--not baby pastels). I HAVE bought birthday cards that make fun of her talents (i.e. 'For your birthday, I planted five thousand Dutch tulip bulbs in a likeness of your face on my front lawn, grew my own cotton and spun the thread and crocheted a dozen doilies with your likeness on them' ... etc.)--she may have some good ideas, but most women don't really have the time and patience to follow through. After all she has been through, I will try to support her. If she comes out with a new line of greeting cards, I will probably buy them."

* "I do feel sorry for Martha Stewart. I have no idea if she IS guilty--I think if she WERE, she'd have arranged a much better defense (she can afford it) so I will give her the benefit of the doubt. She's a woman and became too powerful ... and even though she's blonde--she's NOT particularly pretty--and that DOES count in a man's world! I am cynical enough to feel that being blonde (even though not pretty) PLUS brains is a killer combination that men feel uncomfortable with."

* "Money has always circumvented any misdeeds either by covering up or hiring expert defenses. Ethics seem to come into play only when it makes a good show. It doesn't come naturally, I fear. The crime is not in the doing, unless you get caught and Martha got caught. A man with her money would get off even if he did get caught."

* "I do think women are held to a different standard in almost everything. Corporations make every effort to operate to their own benefit even if it outside the law. But that doesn't change how we shop until we are made aware of it ... as in the Nike sweatshop expose a few years ago. With Martha, I think that more women will support her because she was wronged than stop buying her stuff because she did wrong. I for one am going to do my best to support women. Most men are still happy to see a strong woman put down."

* "Martha Stewart did nothing wrong, if your broker called you and said 'imClone's cancer drug was not approved,' you would have sold, any other person in their right mind would have sold, and yes, I would have sold. That is why people get in the market. They gamble, but people like to win. CEO's in corporations that use the corporation's monies for their own personal gain is a different subject. Corporate boards are not the watchdogs they are supposed to be. Therefore ethics are becoming a thing of the past. Too bad! This country should have a least one ethical person in a responsible position, be it the churches, corporations, non-profits, and/or government offices. I believe illegal and ethical behavior has been increasing in this country, and they are now corrupting women as well as men."

We included this broad array of comments because the feelings, reactions, and ripple effect of the verdict go far beyond Martha Stewart, her enterprises, and her possible replacement(s) as the queen of domesticity. Sympathy and empathy for the way she has been treated may translate into additional attention to corporate ethics and additional sales of Martha's brands or magazines. If she actually spends some time in prison, the feelings of unfairness may well be strong and widespread enough to spark a comeback of a kind of anti-business feminism that will be felt in the workplace as well as the marketplace.

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The Shopper Report[R] Copyright 2004, edited by Mona Doyle, is published 11 times a year by The Consumer Network, Inc., P.O. Box 42753, Philadelphia PA 19101. Phone (215) 235-2400 FAX: (215) 235-6967. The Consumer Network provides consulting and research services including focus groups, shopping partnerships, home visits, and mail and e-mail surveys.