The Feminist Movement

This section explores the role of the Feminist Movement in America during the 1960’s and early 1970’s. Following World War II, women had entered the workforce in significant numbers due to wartime demands. However, once the war ended, many of these changes were reversed. The ideal of the American Dream, the rise of consumer culture, and the expansion of suburban living all contributed to a push for women to return to what were seen as traditional family roles. By the early 1960s, though, women were beginning to make up a larger portion of the workforce, constituting nearly half of the labour force. For many women, earning their own income became a source of independence and led to changing social attitudes about women’s rights.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the perception of a woman’s role as being confined to the role of housewife and mother was increasingly challenged by a growing feminist movement. The movement sought to assert the equality and rights of women across various aspects of life, from employment to personal freedom.

The 1963 Presidential Commission on the Status of Women

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy established the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women to examine the state of women's rights in the workplace. The 1963 report revealed startling inequalities:

• Women earned around 60% less than men for performing the same job.
• Only about 5% of managerial roles were held by women.
• High-paying professional jobs, like doctors and lawyers, were overwhelmingly dominated by men.

This report highlighted the stark realities that many women faced in terms of discrimination in the workplace, which became a rallying point for the feminist movement.

The Development of the Feminist Movement

The feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s was heavily influenced by the earlier civil rights movement. Activists employed various strategies, including protests, legal challenges, and advocacy for new laws to fight for women’s rights. Betty Friedan, one of the most prominent figures of the movement, played a key role in galvanising the feminist cause.

Betty Friedan and the National Organization for Women (NOW)

In 1963, Betty Friedan published her groundbreaking book The Feminine Mystique, which challenged the traditional notion of women’s happiness being solely tied to domestic life. Friedan highlighted the dissatisfaction many women felt in their roles as housewives and mothers, describing how societal expectations had led women to feel unfulfilled and repressed.

Building on this, in 1966, Friedan and 48 other activists founded the National Organization for Women (NOW), an organisation that sought to address legal inequalities between the sexes. NOW’s main goals included:

• Equal pay for equal work, fighting the widespread gender wage gap.
• Access to maternity leave and childcare for working mothers.
• The legalisation of abortion and access to birth control.

NOW sought both legislative reforms and legal victories to combat workplace discrimination and improve women’s rights more broadly.

The Women's Liberation Movement

While NOW focused on legal reform, other feminists, particularly younger women, were more radical in their approach. They believed that patriarchy, or male dominance in society, was the root cause of women’s inequality, and they advocated for more fundamental societal change.

This faction, known as the women’s liberation movement, often took more direct action. Some examples of their activities included:

• Protests at events such as the 1968 Miss America Beauty Pageant, where they argued that the pageant exploited women by promoting unrealistic beauty standards.
• Consciousness-raising meetings, where women gathered to discuss the social, political, and cultural forces that oppressed them.

The women’s liberation movement was particularly appealing to younger women who were eager to challenge the traditional norms that limited their freedom. These women sought not just legal equality but also a cultural shift toward more equitable gender relations.

The 1972 Equal Rights Amendment

One of the most significant legislative efforts of the feminist movement was the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which was passed by Congress in 1972. The ERA stated that equality of rights under the law should not be denied on the basis of sex. However, while it was an important step, the amendment required ratification by 38 states to become part of the US Constitution.

Opposition to the ERA was led by conservative figures such as Phyllis Schlafly, who argued that the amendment would undermine traditional family structures, force women to serve in the military on equal terms with men and diminish the legal protections women enjoyed. Despite strong opposition from conservative groups, the ERA ultimately failed to be ratified by enough states, and it never became law.

Roe v. Wade, 1973

One of the landmark legal victories for women’s rights came in 1973, when the Supreme Court ruled in the Roe v. Wade case. This ruling recognised a woman’s constitutional right to choose an abortion within the first trimester of pregnancy, thus protecting women’s reproductive rights. This decision was a significant moment in the feminist movement, as it granted women greater control over their bodies and reproductive choices.

However, in 2022, the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision, leaving the regulation of abortion up to individual states, which led to a divisive and ongoing debate about reproductive rights in the United States.

The Impact of the Feminist Movement

The feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s had a profound effect on American society. It empowered many women and provided them with greater visibility and influence in public life. As a result of the feminist movement, more women began to occupy prominent positions in politics, business, and academia. For example, Shirley Chisholm became the first African American woman elected to the U.S. Congress in 1968, and she later ran for president in the 1972 election.

The feminist movement also led to important legal and social changes, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited gender discrimination in employment, and the Educational Amendments of 1972, which included Title IX, banning gender discrimination in schools and universities.

Setbacks and Opposition

Despite these successes, the feminist movement faced significant setbacks. For instance, in 1972, Congress passed a bill designed to make childcare more widely available to working mothers. However, President Richard Nixon vetoed the legislation, claiming it was a threat to traditional family values.

In addition, the rise of conservative opposition, particularly the Stop ERA campaign led by Phyllis Schlafly, highlighted the deep divisions within American society over the role of women. While some embraced the feminist agenda, others feared the changes it would bring to social structures.

The feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s was a pivotal force for change in the United States, fighting for equality in the workplace, reproductive rights, and an end to discrimination. While it faced resistance, the movement significantly transformed American society, empowering women to assert their rights and take on new roles in both the private and public spheres.