The women's movement Flashcards
Which 2 women were most prominent in inspiring the women’s movement?
Eleanor Roosevelt and Betty Friedan.
When did E Roosevelt make an important contribution to the cause?
1960 - she set up a commission to investigate the status of women at work.
What were the results of the commission?
It highlighted women’s second class status in employment. (95% of managers were men, as were 85% of technical workers).
Describe women’s wages in comparison to men.
Women only earned 50 to 60% of the wages of men who did the same job.
What did Betty Friedan do in 1963?
She wrote ‘The Feminine Mystique’, a book that expressed the thoughts of many women - there was more to life than being a mother and housewife.
Why was Friedan important?
She called for women to reject this ‘mystique’ and for progress in female employment opportunities.
What did did Friedan do in 1966?
She set up the National Organisation for Women (NOW) as she was disillusioned with the lack of progress in employment opportunities despite government legislation in 1963 and 1964.
How many NOW members were there by the early 1970s?
40,000.
What significant impact did NOW make?
They challenged discrimination in the courts and, in a series of cases between 1966 and 1971, secured $30 million in back pay owed to women who had not been paid wages equal to men.
What was the Women’s Liberation Movement?
The name given to women who had far more radical aims than NOW. Also known as feminists.
What did the really extreme feminists want?
Nothing to do with men. All signs of male supremacy were to be removed. These included male control of employment, politics and the media.
Why did the activities of the women’s lib movement cause more harm than good?
Their extreme actions and protests brought the wrong sort of publicity. Burning their bras in public brought ridicule to the movement and made it increasingly difficult for men and other women to take the whole issue seriously.
Describe the 1963 Equal Pay Act.
It required employers to pay women the same as men for the same job. However, it did not address the issue of discrimination against women seeking jobs in the first place.
Describe the 1972 Educational Amendment
It outlawed sex discrimination in education, so that girls could follow exactly the same curriculum as boys. BUT took a long time for schools to adapt to this.
Did women’s job positions progress?
Yes. An increasing number of women entered professions that had once been perceived as male preserves, such as law and medicine. The two-career family began to replace the traditional pattern of male breadwinner and female housekeeper.
