Feminism In Norma Rae

Norma Rae is an Oscar award winning film from 1979. The movie takes place in a rural southern town where talk of union is taboo. However, a union rep, Reuben, comes into town and shakes things up. The film follows Norma Rae, a worker at the local textile mill as she and Reuben push together to unionize the workers.

The 70s were an interesting time for America. Minority groups were rallying and protesting, becoming activists for equality. The most predominant groups at the forefront of the activism were racial minority groups, the LGBT community, and women. All were seen as disadvantaged groups in society that have a long history of discrimination.

Norma Rae, being released in the late 70s, was riding the coattails of feminist movements. Norma Rae is a strong female character that fights for what she believes in, with little regard to the consequences. She was no doubt a very relatable character at that time in history and remains a relatable character today.

Sexism was a very prominent theme throughout the movie. The men in the film, including Norma Rae’s father, were very dominant figures. Additionally, there were countless double standards throughout the film, especially

Liberal feminism was pushed by advocates such as Mary Wollstonecraf. Liberal feminism emerged in the 18th Century around the time of the Enlightenment period, and believed that women should have equal rights and equal opportunity. This type of feminism argued that women were completely equal to men in ability, there was just a lack of equal opportunity. Wollstonecraft argued, in her book “A Vindication of the Rights of Women,” that women were falling behind as a result of a lack of education. She argued that women were equal to men in rationale and intellectual ability and that they were capable of doing any job a man could do if both received equal