WOMEN FIGHT F

OR

EQUALITY

31.2W

H A T S O C I A L A N D E C O N O MI C B A R R I E R S D I D W

O ME N F A C E I N

A ME R I C A N S O C I E T Y ?

KEY TERMSFeminismBetty FriedanNational Organization for Women

(NOW)Gloria SteinemEqual Rights AmendmentPhyllis Schlafly

KEY DATES1963- Betty Friedan publishes The Feminine Mystique1964- Civil Rights Act1966- National Organization for Women (NOW) formed1971- Gloria Steinem founds National Women’s

Political Caucus1972- Higher Education Act- Title IX1972- Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)1973- Roe v. Wade legalizes abortion1982- ERA officially fails to be ratified

WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE1950- only 33% women had ever worked for

wages1960- 40% of women worked outside the homeMade up 1/3 of nations workforceMany jobs were considered “Men’s Work” and

women were barred from those careersMainly worked as teachers, nurses, secretaries,

retail sales, and social workWhat do these jobs have in common?

SOCIAL ACTIVISM

Feminism Define:

The belief that women should have economic, political, and social equality with men

Underlying belief behind women’s movement

Inspired by Civil Rights and Anti-War Movements

Faced sexism and discrimination in those movements

A MOVEMENT EMERGES

1963- Betty Friedan Author of The Feminine

Mystique Argued against the view that

women are meant for house work and child bearing Reaction to 1950s

stereotypical Housewife and social conformity

Advocated for opportunity for Women in Careers outside the home

SUCCESSES AND FAILURES1966- National Organization for Women (NOW) is

formed “…To confront with concrete action the conditions which now

prevent women from enjoying the equality of opportunity…which is their right as individual Americans and Human Beings.” NOW Statement of Purpose

New York Radical Women protested the Miss America Pageant

Gloria Steinem helped found the Women’s Political Caucus to help women get elected to government positions

1972 she founded Ms. Magazine

1972-Higher Education Act Title IX- helped gain more opportunity for women to go to college1973- Roe v. Wade Made abortions legal in the United States Debate still ongoing today

EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT1972- Congress Passes the Equal Rights Amendment

(ERA) Needed 38 of 50 states to ratify the constitution “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 from conservatives groups stalled the ERA’s ratification

Phyllis Schlafly – Opponent of ERA Believed ERA was the work of radical Feminists who, “…hate

men, hate marriage, and hate children.”

“Feminism is doomed to failure because it is based on an attempt to repeal and restructure human nature”

Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification

Reflection Question:Why do you believe people would oppose this amendment?

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

How did the values and conformity of the 1950s affect the women’s movement in the 1960s and 1970s. Think about both the supporters and opponents of the women’s movement?

How do you think most minority women reacted to the women’s movement?