What was the Feminist Movement?

It was the period in between 1972 and 1982 when women felt like they deserved more self-respect than they were getting.  Thirty-five percent of women were employed by 1960.  Some felt the reason why the number was so low was because they were discriminated against.  Even boys and girls as young as in elementary school were treated differently.  Girls learned things like tumbling and scooters while boys were play football, baseball, and basketball.  Even when laws were passed letting girls take part in athletics, things were still unfair. The feminist movement was the time period in which women decided to stand up and fight back.

 

What were Some Organizations that Supported the Feminist Movement?

In 1961, President Kennedy established the President's Commission on the Status of Women.  Eleanor Roosevelt was the chairwoman.  Reports issued by the Commission in 1963 records that there were substantial discrimination against women at work.  The Commission made recommendations for improvement, including: a fair hiring practice, paid maternity leave, and affordable child care.  This and other organizations encouraged the Black Women's Liberation and Chicago Women's Liberation.

 

In 1966, the National Organization for Women (NOW) was founded by Betty Friedan.  NOW's goal was to end sexual discrimination by legislative lobbying, litigation, and demonstration.  It was the first and most influential American women's organization.  This organization successfully put more women in politics, increased education and employment, and business opportunities for women.  NOW, also, enacted tougher laws against violence, harassment, and discrimination.  Battered women's shelters, rape crisis hotlines, child care centers, and women's health clinics were, also, formed in the '60's, thanks to NOW. A march in Washington, D.C.  was set up by now to support the Equal Rights Amendment.  One hundred thousand women joined NOW in the march.  One of NOW's follower's Helen Reddy gave her famous "I Am Woman" speech at this rally.  

Who were Some Women Who Made a Difference in the Feminist Movement?

Gloria Steinem started her job as a journalist at Esquire Magazine in 1962.  She was also a freelance writer for many other magazines but was never taken seriously since she was a woman.  She became even more aware of how powerless women were when she went undercover as a Playboy Bunny.  "I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine marriage and a career."

 

On June 27, 1964, Republican Senator Margaret Chase Smith from Maine announced that she is running for President.  Smith once said, "When people keep telling you that you can't do a thing, you kind of like to try it."  She received 2.4% of the the votes in the Republican primary.  Illinois gave her 25% of those votes.  After falling short, she ran again in 1972, but she turned up unsuccessful again.  It wasn't a total loss, though.  After the election, there were 13 Congresswomen, 12 House Representatives, and 1 Senator.  That's the largest number since 1960.  Most importantly, none were widows.  She was not the first woman to run for President, though.  Victoria Claflin Woodhill ran for President in 1872.  She was followed by Belva Lockwood who ran in 1884 and '88.

In 1972, Shirley Chisholm was the first black woman to run for President in the primary for one of two major parties.  Also, Dr. Juanita Kryss was the first elected female govenor of the New York Stock Exchange.

 

In 1972, Helen Reddy wrote and recorded the controversial song "I Am Woman."  The lyrics are as follows:

I am woman, hear me roar

In numbers too big to ignore

And I know too much to go back and pretend

'Cause I've heard it all before

And I've been down there on the floor

No one's ever gonna keep me down again

 

Whoa, yes, I am wise

But it's wisdom born of pain

Yes, I've paid the price

But look how much I gained

If I have to, I can do anything (Anything)

I am strong (Strong), I am invincible (Invincible), I am woman

 

You can bend but never break me

'Cause it only serves to make me

More determined to achieve my final goal

And I come back even stronger

Not a novice any longer

'Cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul

 

Oh, yes, I am wise

But it's wisdom born of pain

yes, I've paid the price

But look how much I gained

if I have to, I can do anything (Anything)

I am strong (Strong), I am invincible (Invincible), I am woman

 

I am woman, watch me grow

See me standing toe to toe

As I spread my loving; arms across the land

But I'm still an embryo

With a long, long way to go

Until I make my brother understand

 

Whoa, yes, I am wise

But it's wisdom born of pain

yes, I've paid the price

But look how much I gained

If I have to I can face anything (Anything)

I am strong (Strong), I am invincible (Invincible), I am woman

 

I am woman

I am invincible, I am strong, I am woman

I am invincible, I am strong, I am woman

 
Billy Jean King and Bobby Riggs duked it out in the "Battle of the Sexes" in 1973.  King challenged Riggs to a match after Riggs claimed that any over-the-hill man could beat any champion class woman.  It was no surprise that the cocky Bobby Riggs was defeated by Billy Jean.

 

Dianne Feinstein and Jane Byrne were both elected mayors of Chicago and San Fransisco in 1979.   Unlike other female politicians they were not widows.  They were not radical feminists, and they wished they weren't associated with the Movement.  Feinstein and Byrne ran for offices which required a great deal of money.  Dianne Feinstein came from a very wealthy family, but Byrne managed just fine with her low budget campaign.  Feinstein also ran in 1971 and '75, but 1979 was the first time she was actually elected.

 
Frannie Law Homer, Bella Abzug, and Virginia Musquiez were other important female politicians.  Women who sought political office in the '70's were rarely self-proclaimed feminists.  Many looked at women as more honest and trustworthy due to the Vietnam War and the Watergate Scandal.  Some subjects were still touchy, though.  More than 20% of candidates for state legislator didn't discuss women's issues. Women in political positions had limited access to large donor since men ran every contest reqiring fundraising.  

What Were Some Legal Actions Taken During the Feminist Movement?

"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United State or by any state on account of sex...Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."                                              The 19th Amendment

State and federal laws were formed outlawing gender discrimination in education and employment in the 1960's.  One of these laws is  the Equal Pay Act.  It was formed on June 10, 1963.  This law states that it is illegal for employers to pay a woman less than what a man would receive for the same job.  Title 8 of the Civil Rights Act barred discrimination in employment on sex or race.  This established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to investigate complaints and impose penalties. California adopted the "no fault" divorce law in 1969.  This means the divorce was mutual consent.  Additional laws were passed regarding equal division of property.

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act was formed in 1978.  This act bans employment discrimination against pregnant women.  Women can't be denied a job or promotion because of her pregnancy.  She also can not be forced to take a maternity leave.

Were There Any Women's Rights Demonstrations?

August 26, 1970 was the 50th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.  Rallies were held in 90 cities across the Unites States.  It was named "Women's Strike for Equality."    Fifty thousand women marched on 5th Avenue, and a total of 100,000 women took part in the demonstration across the country.

 
Militant anti-feminists stormed the speaker's podium of the Michigan House on July 14, 1974.  They were protesting a committee's refusal to rescind ERA.  Linda Van Steenis shouted, "We'll get rid of gun control proposal, and then I'll blow every one of your heads off!"  She was accompanied by 20 other anti-feminists

 

Since some women still weren't comfortable with they way they were being treated, they took charge.  Strikes were organized.  Three major strikers were: the Brookside Coal Strike, the Phelps Dodge Copper Strike, and the Patterson Coal  Strike.  Each changed history.  They were small steps that made a big difference in their very own way.

 

Hannah Sharp

8th American History

Rossville Jr. High

Post-World War 2 America Project

May 2002

Bibliography