Scribd
Upload
85 views1 page

Notes PG 895

The document summarizes the key events and developments of the Second Wave feminist movement in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. It describes how women became increasingly dissatisfied with traditional gender roles and inequality in the workplace as documented by the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women. Major organizations were formed like NOW to lobby for equal rights. Influential books like The Feminine Mystique further raised awareness of women's issues. The movement gained momentum through involvement in civil rights and anti-war efforts, with women starting to understand dynamics of oppression. Radical feminists staged symbolic protests to challenge ideals of femininity and fight for greater inclusion and autonomy.

Uploaded by

Lizeisenhardt29
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
85 views1 page

Notes PG 895

The document summarizes the key events and developments of the Second Wave feminist movement in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. It describes how women became increasingly dissatisfied with traditional gender roles and inequality in the workplace as documented by the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women. Major organizations were formed like NOW to lobby for equal rights. Influential books like The Feminine Mystique further raised awareness of women's issues. The movement gained momentum through involvement in civil rights and anti-war efforts, with women starting to understand dynamics of oppression. Radical feminists staged symbolic protests to challenge ideals of femininity and fight for greater inclusion and autonomy.

Uploaded by

Lizeisenhardt29
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

A Second Feminist Wave

• Stirred self awareness and dissatisfaction among educated women


• JFK exploited women and had many love affairs before and during his marriage
o Established the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women:
report that documented occupational inequities suffered by women were
similar to those suffered by minorities
o Women received less pay than men in comparable work
o Less chance of moving to managerial careers
o Only 7 % of Doctors were women and less than 4 % were lawyers
o Urged that Civil Rights Act not only be based on race, but also on gender
• Women dismayed by EEOC reluctance to enforce ban on sex discrimination in
employment
o Betty Friedan, Bella Abzug, Aileen Hernandez and others formed National
Organization for Women (NOW) in 1966
 Liberal change through political system
 Lobbied for equal opportunity and filed lawsuits against gender
discrimination
 Mobilized public opinion against sexism
• Feminine Mystique (1963): written by Friedan, deplored traditional role of women
as wives and mothers
o “Velvet Ghetto”
o Wanted women to pursue careers and establish their own identity
• Involvement in civil-rights and anti-Vietnam movements
o Gained confidence in their own potential, an ideology to understand
oppression
o Given menial jobs by male activists
o Activists Mary King and Casey Hayden drew parallel “between treatment of
Negroes and treatment of women in our society as a whole”

Women’s Liberation
• “Consciousness-raising” transforming women’s perception of themselves and
society
• Began to understand the power dynamics of marriage, the family, and the
workplace
• 1968 radical feminists crowned a sheep Miss America to dramatize that such
contests degraded women
• “Freedom Trash Cans” were women would discard high heels, girdles, and other
symbols of their subjugation
• Insisted on being included in the Boston Marathon
• Est. heal collectives and shelters for abused women, founded abortion counseling
services, and women studies programs
• Equality in workplace and education
• Women’s Strike for Equality: 1970, largest women’s rights demonstration ever
o tens of thousands of women nationwide to parade for equal employment and
safe, legal abortions
• Controversy over the “pill”
o Gave women greater freedom in their own sexuality

You might also like