The second wave of feminism was a crucial era during the early 1960s in the United States, it was largely based on issues surrounding equal rights and opportunities for women in many key aspects such as, personally, politically and economically. It fundamentally challenged important issues that women felt existed during that time. Unlike the first wave, the second wave broadened a wide range of issues, essentially focusing on sexuality, reproductive rights, family life, the workplace and legal inequalities. After World War II, the second wave of feminism came as a response to the experiences that women went through. The post- war was a time that was characterized by multiple key events, including the Baby Boom, economic growth and the development …show more content…
of new homes in the suburbs. This era was also illustrated by the media as well, often depicting idealized gender roles and domesticity, through the use of advertisements and popular television shows. A prominent figure during the second wave of feminism was Betty Friedan, a activist, feminist and author, who is widely known for sparking the start of the second wave of American feminism with her book The Feminine Mystique. Friedan has also “ignited the contemporary women's movement in 1963 and as a result permanently transformed the social fabric of the United States and countries around the world” (Fox, 2006). As a housewife and mother herself, Friedan felt dissatisfied with her life and she noticed the same emotions within other women as well.
After passing out a survey at her college reunion at Smith College, she confirmed what she had suspected, that a numerous amount of women were unhappy and they couldn’t explain why. She then decided to undertake a series of extensive studies on the topic of suburban housewives, which included questionnaires, conducting interviews, meeting with professionals to further discuss her findings, as well as her own personal experiences and compiled her research into her book The Feminine Mystique. In The Feminine Mystique, Friedan articulated “the problem that has no name,” the frustration and widespread unhappiness that suburban middle- class women felt as solely being …show more content…
housewives. In the book, Friedan describes the widespread unhappiness amongst housewives, who often felt unrewarded for the work they performed in their daily lives and also felt guilty for not being fulfilled, since they were living the so- called “American Dream.” Although they lived in beautiful homes, in suburban neighborhoods they experienced a disconnect from the real world and a unsettling dissatisfaction internally. “The problem lay buried, unspoken, for many years in the minds of American women. It was a strange stirring, a sense of dissatisfaction, a yearning that women suffered in the middle of the twentieth century in the United States” (Friedan, 1963). This problem also caused women to remove all notions of self- fulfilling desires and conform to socially constructed gender roles that society demanded they follow. Women in the 1960s and 70s were required to seek fulfillment as housewives and embody femininity, so they can be and become the “perfect” housewife. “They learned that truly feminine women do not want careers, higher education, political rights- the independence and the opportunities that the old- fashioned feminists fought for” (Friedan, 1963). Therefore, Friedan argued that women felt trapped in their domesticated lives and she encouraged women to seek another life other than the one they had as housewives. Although she was faced by a great deal of criticism, Friedan believed that women were limited in their possibilities and they wasted their talent and potential just by being at home. In the book, she also argued that mainstream media portrayed inaccurate images of women and by marketing these images to women all over the U.S., it did not reflect happiness but rather it degraded women. Friedan also had many other concerns and issues as well that she and other feminists fought for.
These issues included equal pay for women, maternity leave, legal abortion, demanded child care centers, protection against sexual violence and domestic abuse. The legislative victories throughout the 1960s, prompted Friedan to join forces with other women to start the National Organization for Women, the largest women’s group in 1966. As president of NOW, Friedan dedicated her work to achieve equality and opportunity for women. As a political liberal figure, Friedan directed campaigns, litigations and public demonstrations to legalize abortion, employment opportunities, political equality and fought to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, which unfortunately failed. “In these early years NOW undertook a number of campaigns, most relying on legal challenges, others on direct action, and with a major focus on fighting sex discrimination in the workplace. Sex-segregated job advertisements, for example, were banned, sex discrimination by Federal Contractors was outlawed, and airlines had to change their hiring policies for flight attendants” (Margalit,
2006). After she stepped down as the president of NOW in 1969, Friedan helped found the National Conference for the Repeal of Abortion Laws, organized the Women’s Strike for Equality and the National Women’s Political Caucus. Although Friedan focused on crucial issues, she neglected to include women of other races and sexual orientation. Friedan had trouble including lesbians in the women’s movement because she believed that “lesbianism was not a women's rights or equality issue, but a matter of private life, and she warned the issue might diminish support for women's rights, using the term "lavender menace” (Lewis, 2014).
The “Feminine Mystique” is a highly influential book in the early second wave feminism movement. It is said that it helped shaped the demands of the second wave by insisting for the right to work outside the home, and to be paid equally; the right for reproductive freedom; the demand that women should not be expected to have children and be mothers if they do not want to. Betty Friedan addresses “the problem that has no name” which is the women who are highly educated, suburban housewives that are bored and want something “more” in their life. This is the point where women knew we needed a second wave. Women’s role had gone backwards and they were beginning to realize that they were all experiencing the same “problem that has no name”. “The
Canadian workplaces today seem to be a fairly diverse place, with a blend of many religions, ethnicities, and genders present. However, although people preach affirmative action and melting pots in current times, many inequality and power issues still abound. One strikingly noticeable example is gender discrimination. Women in the workforce face many challenges like smaller wages, harassment, male privilege in hiring or promotions, and lack of support when pregnant or raising children. One half of the planet is women, and it can be assumed the same for Canada, but they still face judgment at work because they lack the authority to dispute against big corporations or even their male supervisor. It cannot be argued that Canadian women’s status has worsened over the past hundred years, of course, thanks to feminism and activism. However, their status is not as high as it could be. Women as a group first started fighting for workplace equality during the second wave of feminism, from the 1960s to the 1990s. Legislation was approved during the second wave to try to bring gender equality to the workplace. Feminists both collided and collaborated with unions and employers to ensure women received fair treatment in an occupation. Quebec had the same issues, only the province approached the conflict differently than English Canada with its own unique viewpoint. It became clear that women were entering the workplace and did not plan on leaving. Second-wave feminism in Canada shifted power from the government and businesses to women in order to try to bring equality, although the discrimination never completely disappeared.
Friedan points out that, "They [men] have an unprecedented freedom to choose the kind of work they will do; they also have an unprecedented amount of time apart from the hours and days that must actually be spent in making a living. And suddenly one realizes the significance of today's identity crisis." (790). Friedan also explains the difference in the times of the pioneer days, when women were more respected and did more, to her present time. When women were no longer needed to be doing hard work and were simply tasked with staying in their homes to raise their children. "These women were respected and self-respecting members of society whose pioneering purpose centered in the home. Strength and independence, responsibility and self-confidence, self-discipline and courage, freedom and equality were part of the American character for both men and women, in all the first generations."(791). The way Friedan conveys the past standards helped her pave the way to her main argument of women having identity crisis's. Because the order of the text was old standards of the American woman, it made sense when Friedan started explaining how things were for her in that time. After explaining the societal standards, Friedan went on to explain why women deserve to do more than only becoming a
Locke, Jillian L. "Feminism (Second-Wave)." Encyclopedia of U.S. Political History. Ed. Thomas S. Langston. Vol. 6: Postwar Consensus to Social Unrest, 1946 to 1975. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2010. 170-174. Gale Virtual Library
But when the “Women’s Movement,” is referred to, one would most likely think about the strides taken during the 1960’s for equal treatment of women. The sixties started off with a bang for women, as the Food and Drug Administration approved birth control pills, President John F. Kennedy established the President's Commission on the Status of Women and appointed Eleanor Roosevelt as chairwoman, and Betty Friedan published her famous and groundbreaking book, “The Feminine Mystique” (Imbornoni). The Women’s Movement of the 1960’s was a ground-breaking part of American history because along with African-Americans another minority group stood up for equality, women were finished with being complacent, and it changed women’s lives today.
In the 1960’s, the civil rights movement was the act inspiring the second wave of feminism. The passing of the civil rights act protected women
As Third Wave feminism is currently unfolding before us, and its aims encompass a wide array of complex issues, it is often hard to describe what Third Wave feminism is. The feminist theories, mainly associated with First and Second Wave feminism attempt to describe the power imbalances that are found in society, and while doing so expose other oppressions, such as discrimination based on race or sexual orientation. As this essay attempts to place a clear definition to Third Wave feminism, feminists are concurrently trying to deconstruct old definitions and open it up for women to determine what feminism means to them. In other words, no clear definition on what is meant to be a feminist is sufficient, as the Third Wave is about equality and freedom for all citizens, regardless of sex, class, race or sexual orientation.
While the 1960s were a time of advancement for minorities, it was also a time of advancement for women. In 1963, Congress passed the Equal Pay Act, which outlawed discrimination in the workplace based on a person’s sex (Foner 944). To ensure that women would have the same opportunities as men in jobs, education, and political participation, the National Organization for women was formed in 1966 (Foner 944). The sixties also marked the beginning of a public campaign to repeal state laws that banned abortion or left the decision to terminate a pregnancy to physicians instead of the woman (Foner 945).
Throughout the waves of liberal feminism, there is a new characteristic to be associated with the feminist group. In the first waves, it’s white, married, wealthy women who fit the criteria to be a feminist. The first wave begins in 1900 and ends around 1920, during the times of the Suffragettes. This wave began to introduce the inequalities between men and women, especially relating to voting and education. The second wave began to rise in 1950 which introduced reproductive rights, entitlement to sex, marriage, jobs, social lives, and politics. This wave continued to the 1970’s. It’s not until the third wave, which hits in the 1990’s, when inequalities among women are introduced to the feminist movement (FYS Class Notes).
... setting up the basis for the second movement. After women began talking about the family economy during the first wave, the women were able to shift their focus to their personal careers and salaries during the second wave. Additionally, the first wave gave women the right to vote, but the second wave gave women more political power. Women distinguished themselves through their sexuality in the first wave, while the second wave helped women distinguish themselves through their strength. The achievements of the second feminist movement clearly had their roots in the first movement. Feminism is now entering its third wave. Regardless of whether the new feminists use an indirect approach, like the 1920s movement, or a direct approach, like the 1970s movement, American women will continue fighting for gender equality until the words “man” and “woman” both mean “human.”
‘The term second-wave feminism refers mostly to the radical feminism of the women’s liberation movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s.’ The first wave of feminism which started in the 1930’s started the battle for women’s rights, equality and the right to vote. It witnessed the rise of the suffrages but unfortunately only focused on white middle class women. The second wave set out for much more. Described as one the largest social movements in U.s history women joined together in a mass protest to shout out against sexual objectification and hierarchal authority.
The first wave of feminism is more commonly known as the women’s liberation or women’s suffrage movement. First wave feminist’s main concern was in political power especially in terms of the right to vote, having a voice. They believed that changes within society could be made gradually within society to achieve equality rather than having to demolish the way things were and reconstruct them.
The National Organization for Women (NOW) believes in equality between males and females, which is planning on happening (Statement of Purpose, 1966). Women were given many new rights that they have never been able to have before.
The first wave created an amazing starting point for the change of the future in women’s rights. Without the first and second wave of feminism our society still would probably be different today. Gaining the right to vote for all women is very crucial because we all deserve to have the voice in politics even being the minority. Having fair and proper opportunities for women in the workplace for women shows unity. Not to mention that women have every right to do as they please with their body’s and how they wish to change that apart from their life.
They gained basic rights for a less subservient life style; marriage became a thing of love not obligation. The second wave of feminism came in the 1960s when women saw the opportunity to become completely equal with men in the United States. The latest wave, the