The American Odyssey

1. The American Odyssey Chapter 22: Voices of Protest Section 1: The Revival of Feminism

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

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. Origins of the Women’s Movement (p. 725-726) The Feminine Mystique written by Betty Friedman in 1963.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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: • Passage of an equal rights amendment to the Constitution • Enforcement of the Title VII of the Civil Rights, which prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of sex and race • Maternity leave benefits and better childcare • Equal and unsegregated education • Equal job training opportunities • Abortion rights

9. 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

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.