Legal Framing Processes And Transformation Of The Women's Movement Summary

In the article, From Protective to Equal Treatment: Legal Framing Processes and Transformation of the Women’s Movement in the 1960s, Pedriana applies the idea of legal framing to understand how theoretical knowledge influences the cultural and symbolic processes that transform social movements. This research sets out to understand the legal framing process through historical analysis of the women’s movement. He also argues that the law is a type of “master frame”. Master frames act as a form of protest, meaning to “turn heads”, so that people see issues in a certain way. The point of this article was to analyze legal framing of the women’s movement in the 1960s. Researching this topic leads to the understanding of why cultural processes constrain

and transform social movements.
Pedriana argues that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act was the first step to women’s rights.

For the most part, women’s advocates were content with the new law. It promoted an end to most gender-specific employment classifications. Title VII set into motion a political and cultural debate, leading to decreases in gender stereotypes. Though women still face prejudice and stereotypes, Title VII was one of the most influential acts that helped women. The creation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act set in motion the National Organization for Women. “NOW” was set out to bring equality to the workplace for women. Their focus was to eliminate gender specific legal categories that legitimated protective labor policies for women. Following this, protective laws for women were legally invalidated.

Pedriana argues that the reason laws are so hard to mobilize is because of how complex the laws are. When it came to women advocates, such as NOW, they were encouraged to frame the movement around legal rights. Which incorporated competing constructions of women’s roles at work and in society (paragraph 2, 1750). The women’s movement was successful in strategizing over protective policies. They did this by framing the debate over reproductive rights and individual right to privacy. The right to privacy frame did not replace the equal treatment frame, it assisted or complemented it by expanding the

movement.
This article intended to expand theoretical knowledge on the cultural and symbolic processes that enable, constrain, and transform social movements (paragraph 1, 1747). It focused on historical analysis, such as Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and women’s movements. Pedriana argues that law should be thought as a master frame. Master frames play a major role in social movements and protest cycles. When a movement successfully translates a master legal frame it can lead to social change. It does so in two ways; it transforms the relationships between challengers and dominant groups. Also, it transforms the political environment. He concludes that because law is a master frame, framing of law’s help aid in theoretical framework and social movements.