1960S HISTORY  OTHER SOCIAL MOVEMENTS the women’s movement SALSBERRY 1960S HISTORY  OTHER SOCIAL MOVEMENTS

WOMEN FIGHT FOR EQUALITY FEMINISM The theory that was behind the women’s movement of the 1960s was called feminism. It was the belief that women should have economic, political, and social equality with men. Feminist Symbol

“A Suffragette’s Home” BACKGROUND: MID 1800S TO 1920S GOALS Wanted suffrage (the right to vote) Wanted property/will rights Wanted reforms in higher education Wanted “rights to their own body” ACHIEVEMENTS 19th Amendment (1920): Gave women the right to vote. Reforms to will rights Improvements to education SETBACKS No health reforms, no spousal rape protection “A Suffragette’s Home”

A STALL IN THE MOVEMENT World War II

BACKGROUND: POST WWII WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE In 1960 40% of women “worked for wages.” High paying jobs were considered “men’s work.” Few jobs were available to women. 1961PRESIDENTIAL COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN Found women were paid far less than men, even when doing the same job. Also, found that women were seldom promoted to management positions regardless of education, experience, and ability. These facts awakened many women to their unequal status in society.

WOMEN AND ACTIVISM How would you expect women to be treated during other social movements and protests of the 1960s?

THE MOVEMENT EMERGES THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE The catalyst for sparking the second wave of feminism. Written by Betty Friedan in 1963. Friedan herself was a housewife in the 1950s and 1960s. Captured the discontent and “trapped” feeling that many women were experiencing as a housewife during this time. The Feminine Mystique

THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE “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?’”

GOALS OF THE MOVEMENT THE CREATION OF NOW “National Organization for Women” Held demonstrations, marches, and protests GOALS OF THE MOVEMENT Wanted child-care facilities Wanted to ban gender discrimination in hiring Wanted to stop violence against women Wanted to promote reproductive rights Wanted to promote female political candidates National Organization for Women

GAINS SOCAIL Girls missing from sports came into question. “Ms.” instead of Miss or Mrs. Not changing last name upon marriage. Woman’s physical appearance no longer considered a job qualification. LEGAL 1972 Higher Education Act: Congress passed a ban on gender discrimination in education programs. Parents were given a tax break for child-care expenses. Roe V. Wade (1973): Supreme Court ruled women have the right to choose an abortion during the first three months.

SETBACKS 1972 EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT (ERA) An amendment that would guarantee that both men and women would enjoy the same rights and protections under the law. First introduced to Congress in 1923. Passed but was not ratified. “Radical feminists hate men, marriage, and children and were oppressed only in their distorted minds” (Phyllis Schlafly, 1972). Left: “ERA is the American Way”, Below: States that ratified the ERA

LEGACIES The “New Right” Transformed conventional roles More working mothers Expanded career opportunities Female members of the House and Senate Put feminist concerns on the national stage Women of the 111th Senate