Women Fight For Equality

The Feminine Mystique Sparks Second- Wave Feminism Many women are dissatisfied with the return to domesticity that the end of World War Two brings. Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan, 1963 –Exposes the unhappiness and lack of fulfillment many women feel as housewives –Awakens women to the fact that the ideal of feminine fulfillment is an oppressive ideology and that their personal struggles are not personal, but an outgrowth of systematic oppression Feminine Mystique helps spark what is known as second-wave feminism

“The problem lay buried, unspoken….It was a strange stirring, a sense of dissatisfaction, a yearning that women suffered in the middle of the twentieth century in the United States. Each suburban wife struggled with it alone. As she made the beds, shopped for groceries, matched slipcover material, ate peanut butter sandwiches with her children, chauffeured Cub Scouts and Brownies, lay beside her husband at night- she was afraid to ask even of herself the silent question- ‘Is this all?’” - The Feminine Mystique

Betty Friedan

The theory behind the women’s movement of the 1960’s was feminism, the belief that women should have economic, political, and social equality with men. Feminism

With Feminist Theory established, leaders in the feminist movement begin raising awareness of women’s oppression. The tool they use to do this is Consciousness- Raising

What is consciousness-raising? "I think a lot about being attractive," Ann said. "People don't find the real self of a woman attractive." And then she went on to give some examples. And I just sat there listening to her describe all the false ways women have to act: playing dumb, always being agreeable, always being nice, not to mention what we had to do to our bodies, with the clothes and shoes we wore, the diets we had to go through, going blind not wearing glasses, all because men didn't find our real selves, our human freedom, our basic humanity "attractive." And I realized I still could learn a lot about how to understand and describe the particular oppression of women in ways that could reach other women in the way this had just reached me. The whole group was moved as I was, and we decided on the spot that what we needed -- in the words Ann used -- was to "raise our consciousness some more."

In 1950, only one out of three women worked for wages. By 1960, that number had increased to about 40%. Still, during this time, certain jobs were considered “men’s work” and women were shut out.

The National Organization for Women Women active in the Civil Rights realize that if women are going to want to make change they need to organize! Need to create a “NAACP for Women” They form the National Organization for Women (NOW) in –Betty Friedan was the group’s first President

NOW The National Organization for Women (NOW) was created in NOW members pushed for: 1.Child care facilities that would enable mothers to pursue jobs and education. 2. Ban on gender discrimination in hiring.

Equal Pay Act of 1963 States that no employer may pay lower wages to employees of one gender than it pays to employees of the other gender employees within the same establishment for equal work at jobs that require equal skill, effort and responsibility, and that are performed under similar working conditions. Huge step forward for gender equity in employment But…Does not address inter- occupational inequality for jobs that require the same skill. –Maid vs. Janitor –“Comparable Worth” Argument Signed into law by President Kennedy

Civil Rights Act 1964 Law that outlawed major forms of discrimination against racial, ethnic, national and religious minorities, as well as women. Act was originally intended to end racial inequality, and said nothing about women. –U.S. Rep Howard W. Smith (VA) added the word “sex” to the Act in an effort to derail the measure so African Americans would not gain Civil Rights. –However, the entire Act passed into law without floor debate. For the first time the United States had a law against sex discrimination in federally-funded public accommodations

Act Through Activism Women begin to protest, speak out, and march in large numbers Protests are “in your face” They protest over a wide-range of issues: –Political inequality –Economic inequality –Cultural degradation of women Example: 1968 Protest of the Miss America Pageant –How does this protest exemplify the feminist theory of second-wave feminism?

Gloria Steinem In 1971, Steinem helped found the National Women’s Political Caucus, a moderate group that encouraged women to seek political office. In 1972, she and other women created a new women’s magazine, Ms., designed to treat contemporary issues from a feminist perspective.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 Title IX, is a United States law enacted in 1972 that states: "No person in the United States shall on the basis of sex, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."[[

Title IX (1972) Portion of the Education Amendments of 1972 States that: –No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance... In short, Prohibits sex discrimination in schools whether academic or athletic. Major effects on the equal creation and funding of women’s athletics Signed into law by President Nixon

Roe v. Wade One of the more controversial positions that NOW and other feminist groups supported was a woman’s right to have an abortion. In 1973, the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that women do have the right to choose an abortion during the first three months of pregnancy.

ERA In 1972, Congress passed the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The amendment then needed ratification by 38 states to become part of the Constitution. The ERA would guarantee that both men and women would enjoy the same rights and protections under the law.

Stop-ERA Campaign Conservative Phyllis Schlafly, along with conservative religious groups, political organizations, and many anti- feminists felt that the ERA would lead to “a parade of horribles,” such as the drafting of women, the end of laws protecting homemakers, the end of the husband’s responsibility to provide for his family, and same-sex marriages. Schlafly said that radical feminists “hate men, marriage, and children” and were oppressed “only in their distorted minds.”

Phyllis Schlafly

The Movement’s Legacy The Movement transformed women’s conventional roles and their attitudes toward career and family. Most of all, the movement helped count- less women open their lives to new possibilities. “For we have lived the second American revolution,” wrote Betty Friedan in 1976, “and our very anger said a ‘new YES’ to life.”

No-Fault Divorce No-fault divorce is a divorce in which the dissolution of the marriage does not require proof of wrongdoing by either party. In 1970, California became the first state to pass no-fault divorce. In 2010, New York became the last state.