women Fight for Equality

1. Experiences in the workplace
in 1950, only one out of three women worked for wages. In this time certain jobs were considered "men's work" and women were shut down. The jobs available to women-mostly clerical work, domestic service, retail sales, social work, teaching, and nursing- paid poorly.

2. Experiences in social activism
This led women to dicuss their concerns. These turned into "consciousness raising"


3. "Consciousness raising"
Women talked about what they experiences and realized they were not unique. They noticed a pattern in sexism. This created more problems because they realized how big the issue really was.

4. Feminism
The belief that women should have ecomonic, political, and social equality with men. Feminist beliefs had gained momentum during the mid 1800s and in 1920 won women the right to vote.

5. Betty Friedan and The Feminine Mystique
Betty Friedan was living the american dream, she had healthy children, a husband and a house in the suburbs. She wrote a book "The Feminine Mystique" in which she adressed the "Problem that has no name". This answered the questions for african americans, latinos, and native americans in the first for a greater cibil rights and equality in society.

6. Civil Rights Act of 1964
The civil rights act of 1964 had caused women to gain strength with the passage of the act, which prohibited discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, and gender.

7. National Organization for Women (NOW)
To pursue women's goals. Was created by Betty Friedan and other women. The founders of NOW declares, "to confront with concrete action the conditions which now prevent women from enjoing the equality of opportnity...which is their right as individual americans and as human beings."

8. Gloria Steinem and Ms. Magazine
She was a journalist, political activist, and ardent supporter of the women's liberation movement, made her voice heard on the subjects of feminism and equality. Her grandmother had serced as president of the ohio womans suffrage association. She had inherited her passion and conviction. She helped found the nation womens politcal caucus, a moderate group that encouraged women to seek political office. She and other women created a new womens magazine, Ms, designed to treat contemporary issues from feminst perspectives.

9. Congress
Passed a ban on gender discimination in "any education program or acticity receiving federal financial assistance" as part of the higher education act. As a result many all male colleges opened their doors to comen. Congress expanded the powers of the EEOC and gave women partents a tax breaj for child care expenses, in the same year.
10. Supreme Court

11. The Equal rights Amendment would have guaranteed equal rights under the law, regardless of gender. Who opposed this amendment? Why?
Congress introduces this in 1923, the ERA would guarantee that both men and women would enjoy the same rights and protections under the law. The amendement scared many people and a stop-era campaign was launches in 1972. Many anti feminists felt that the era would lead to "a parade of horribles," such as the drafting of women, the end of laws protecting homemakes, the end of husbands responsibilitys to provide for his family, and the same sex marriages.