Ch. 23.1: An Era of Activism

Feminism

Feminism

Theory favoring the

political, economic, and

social equality of men and

women

Examples of modern

feminist causes???

The Feminist

Movement

The feminist movements of

the late 1800s & early 1900s

did NOT achieve full

equality that women

sought

Stereotype of a meek

housewife persisted

Reality: In 1960, 38% of

women had jobs away

from home

Background

to the

movement

In 1950, 25% of bachelor’s

degrees were earned by

women

Up to 43% by 1970

That # is now 57%

However, in the 1950s &

1960s many employers

refused to hire women,

even if they were well-

educated

Background to the Movement

Employers expected women to

leave the job after a few years to

start a family & didn’t want to

invest money in hiring them

Limited daycare options

Even if hired, women earned less

while doing the same job

Women still struggle to becomes

CEOs & other upper level positions

“Glass Ceiling”

Wage gap between men

& women

1963—Women $0.59 to

every dollar a man

earned

1973—$0.57 to every

dollar

Today—Around $0.80

Income Disparity By Industry

Median Weekly Earnings of Full-Time Wage & Salary Workers

Civil Rights & Women

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s & 1960s did not

just help African Americans

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 added gender

discrimination to the list of illegal acts

Gave women a legal framework to challenge discrimination

The movement also provided inspiration & a “how-to”

model for action

The Feminine Mystique

Book written by Betty Friedan in 1963

Created a sensation in the suburbs of America

Often credited w/ sparking the feminist movement

Over 3 million copies sold by 2000

Addressed to women who supposedly had everything (nice house, healthy kids, middle to upper-class lifestyle) Despite all of this, these women were NOT happy!

Friedan called it “the problem that had no name”

The dissatisfaction of not being able to realize one’s full potential

Friedan gave these women the courage to ask “Is this all?”

NOW

National Organization for Women (NOW)—Est. in 1966 to promote the full participation of women in American society

Attacked false images of women in the media

Called for balance in marriage responsibilities

Sharing of cooking, cleaning, parenting, etc.

Pushed for fair pay & equal job opportunities

Had 15K members by 1970

500K today, w/ 500+ local chapters & affiliates in all 50 states

Many viewed NOW as too extreme

Others felt it didn’t go far enough

Shifting Attitudes

Movement came of age in early 70s

Our Bodies, Ourselves, published in 1970

Sold 3 million copies by 1990

Encouraged women to understood their own health issues

Gloria Steinem & others founded Ms. magazine in 1972

Tackled feminist issues

Much different than Good Housekeeping or Ladies’ Home

Journal

Miss America, 1968

Protest organized by New York Radical Women (NYRW)

400 protesters assembled on the boardwalk of Atlantic City

Published a manifesto titled “No More Miss America!”

Little boys dreamed of being president, but what about little girls?

Signs read “Welcome to the Cattle Auction”

Threw items in “Freedom Trash Can”

Wigs, fake eyelashes, dish detergent, high heels, bras, etc.

Led to reporters coining the phrase “bra burners”

Criticized the “ludicrous beauty standards we ourselves are

conditioned to take seriously”

Also, attacked pageant’s beauty standards as racist

As of that year there had never been an African American finalist

Shifting Attitudes

In 1972, Congress passed a prohibition against sex

discrimination as part of the Higher Education Act

More women entered law school & medical school

Women were finally admitted to military academies to

be trained as officers

National Women’s Political Caucus was est. in 1971

Shirley Chisholm ran, one of NWP’s founders, ran for

president in ‘72

Served in House from 1969-1983

Shifting Attitudes

Radical feminists emphasized the need to end male domination

Some even went as far as rejecting men, marriage, & childbearing

Supreme Court struck down law that prohibited the sale of birth control in Griswold v. Connecticut, 1965

Based on the “right to marital privacy”

Use of contraception became more socially acceptable

Supreme Court legalized abortion in controversial Roe v. Wade decision in 1973

Decision based on constitutional right of privacy

Issue of abortion is still extremely polarizing today

Shifting Attitudes

In 1972 Congress approved passage of the Equal Rights

Amendment (ERA)

But 38 states were needed, only 35 ratified the amendment

By 1982, the deadline, ratification had failed

It reads:

“Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or

abridged by the United States or by any State on account of

sex.”

Opposition

Phyllis Schlafly led movement to stop

ratification of the ERA

“It won’t do anything to help women, and it will take away from women the rights they already have, such as the right of a wife to be supported by her husband, the right of a woman to be exempted from military combat and the the right...to go to a single-sex college.”

Many men were also hostile towards

the women’s liberation movement

Some women desired to remain at

home and raise children

Women Today