THE AMERICAN ODYSSEYChapter 22: Voices of Protest

Section 1: The Revival of Feminism

What is a Feminist?• An advocate for women’s rights

Origins of the Women’s Movement (p. 725-726)

• Women gained the right to vote only after a long struggle– They first won suffrage in the

western states.• Finally, they achieved the right

to vote in 1919 with the passage if the Nineteenth Amendment.

Origins of the Women’s Movement (p. 725-726)

• The publication of Betty Friedan’s landmark book, The Feminine Mystique.

• It raised consciousness of the stereotypes that limited women’s social and economic opportunities.

• The book also challenged the traditional idea that a women’s true role was to be a wife and a mother.

Origins of the Women’s Movement (p. 725-726)

The Feminine Mystique written by Betty Friedman in 1963.

Origins of the Women’s Movement (p. 725-726)

• Minority women faced a special problem in that they encountered both sexual and racial discrimination by:– Whites– Men– Other women

• Many minority women chose to delay their fight for equality in one sphere – racial or gender – while they struggled for equality in the other.

Women’s Issues in the 1960 (p. 726-727)

• A number of issues concerned women at the start of the 1960’s:– Unequal wages and job discrimination– The lack of women in elected or

appointed political positions– Reproductive rights– Stereotyped relations between men and

women.

Women’s Responses on the Issues (p. 727-729)

• The National Organization for Women (NOW) began in 1966 at a conference on the status of women.

• At their first national conference, NOW outlined their goals:1. Passage of an equal rights amendment to the

Constitution2. Enforcement of the Title VII of the Civil Rights, which

prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of sex and race

3. Maternity leave benefits and better childcare4. Equal and unsegregated education5. Equal job training opportunities6. Abortion rights

Women’s Responses on the Issues (p. 727-729)

• NOW’s success inspired the creation of several other women’s organizations:– National Women’s Political Caucus

(NWPC)–Women’s Campaign Fund– Several of separate organizations for

minority women

Women’s Responses on the Issues (p. 727-729)

• Some women did not consider NOW radical enough.

• They tended to be white, well educated young women who learned about social reform through civil rights and student protest movements.

• The radical feminists excelled at grassroots organization and leaned toward more dramatic protests.

Women’s Responses on the Issues (p. 727-729)

• Not all women embraced the new idea of women’s liberation.

• Among the most prominent antifeminists was Phyllis Schlafly

• Schlafly asserted that feminist organizations did not represent all women’s views.– Her leadership offered a powerful choice

for many women.

Responses of Congress and the Courts(p. 729-731)

• The accumulated effect of the women’s movement provoked action in the government

• A 1970 order by the Labor Department required federal contractors to hire a certain percentage of women.

• The 1972 Educational Amendment Act banned discrimination in education.

Responses of Congress and the Courts(p. 729-731)

• In the 1970’s, however, two issues divided American society into opposing parties:– Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)– The 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe

v. Wade• Established a woman’s right to have an

abortion.

Responses of Congress and the Courts(p. 729-731)

• In a hard fought battle, conservative women’s groups waged a grassroots campaign against the passage of the ERA.

• They said it would lead directly to women in combat during wartime, breakdown of the family, government funding of abortion, et cetera.

Responses of Congress and the Courts(p. 729-731)

• Although polls showed that most people favored equality, the protracted fight over the ERA was waged on a state-by-state basis.

• Despite an extension, the deadline for ratification found feminists three states short of the necessary number for ratification.