Women Fight for Equality

Read Chapter 31-2 in your The Americans online textbook. (begins on page 982). Answer the following and post to your blog. Due Tuesday prior to class.

Title: Women Fight for Equality Labels: Women's_Rights, Friedan, Schlafly, Steinem, Roe_v_Wade, ERA, NOW, Feminism,

Directions: As you read about the rise of a new women’s movement, take notes to explain how each of the following helped to create or advance the movement.

1. Experiences in the workplace
Women in the work place were being payed significantly less than the men in the work place. With the advent of the Kennedy administration however, people began paying more attention to the discrimination. Kennedy adressed with the status of woman. During the 60's woman progressed in the work place and began being payed far more.

2. Experiences in social activism
Women were mostly brushed aside when it came to organizing protests against wars and civil rights.

3. "Consciousness raising"
groups of women that discussed their lives and how discrimination was threatning them.

4. Feminism
The belief that women should have social economical and political equality with men.

5. Betty Friedan and The Feminine Mystique
Betty Friedan wrote the Feminine Mystique after conducting a survey of her Smith College female graduate students and finding that they were also unhappy with their day to day lives.

6. Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil rights movement created a precedent for women to start emerging and protesting their inequality.

7. National Organization for Women (NOW)
NOW was an organization of 28 women including Betty Friedan. This organization pushed for establishments like childcare so that women could pursue careers.

8. Gloria Steinem and Ms. Magazine
Gloria Steinem and her magazine Ms. was revolutionary because it created a place for women too discuss contemporary issues from a feminist perspective.

9. Congress

Passed equal rights act however the act needed 38 signitures to be passed. People were so afraid that the law didnt pass. Schlafly was one of these anti-feminist activists who was afraid by thte movement.

10. Supreme Court
The supreme court was decisive in the NOW promotion the woman's right abortion within the three months of pregnancy. The supreme court ruled against this saying that it was not within women's rights. However, one cannot really say whether this was a set back for the womens rights movement or not because it depends on what your view is. Morality aside it was a set back because of the ruling that women "dont have the right" to something.

11. The Equal rights Amendment would have guaranteed equal rights under the law, regardless of gender. Who opposed this amendment? Why?

Phyllis Schlafly and a group of conservatives opposed this amendment mainly because they were afraid of the outcome. Also, anti-feminists religious groups and conservatives in general believed that approving this ammendment would end in a "parade" of horribles such as same sex marriage and the drafting of woman. They also feared that this would not protect woman under the homemakers laws.