Final Paper

In today’s society, women have almost all the same rights and opportunities that men do in the United States. This was not always the case. Women have had to do so much to become recognized and respected. Women used to be seen as being inferior to men. They were thought to be ignorant and could not contribute to the society like a man could. They were considered weak and in some cases, a major source of temptation and evil. Throughout history, the “woman’s role” was to stay at home. They were supposed to cook, clean, take care of the children, and tend to all of their husband’s needs. During the 1960s and 70s, women were still being discriminated against. Even after all of the feminist movements from the years before, people still couldn’t see that women had so much potential and should have the same rights as men did. They were discriminated against in many different areas; such as politics, education, employment, and so on. Women were not able to use and share their many talents and skills with the world. They had a limited choice when it came to what they could do with their lives. It was time for a change. Women all over the country were starting to realize it and were ready to do whatever it took to make a difference. This movement is known as the Second-wave Feminism.
At the beginning of the 1960s, women were used to their way of living. Some didn’t even care to realize all of the discrimination against them. It was time for someone to speak up and reveal all of the inequality between men and women in the society. Betty Friedman was a feminist who had written articles in the 1940s about pay discrimination against women workers and racism in the workplace. In 1963, she published The Feminine Mystique. In the first chapter, it painted a devastating picture of talented, educated women trapped in a world that viewed marriage and motherhood as their primary goals. It described how women were being treated unfairly and it was time for a change. The book immediately became a bestseller. She received desperate letters from female readers relating how the suburban dream had become a nightmare. Friedman was a big part of the feminist movement. She co-founded the U.S. National Organization for Women with 27 other women and men. Betty Friedan wrote the organization's first Statement of Purpose in 1966. The original statement described the purpose of NOW as "to take action to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society now, exercising all privileges and responsibilities thereof in truly equal partnership with men." Friedan also helped found NARAL (National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws) in 1969 (Horowitz). Betty Friedan was a strong and determined woman who helped to open the eyes of women all over the country to the discrimination against them.
Also in 1963, President John F. Kennedy started the President’s Commission on the Status of Women. The goal was to document discrimination against women in virtually every area of American life. When PCSW began, Congress began considering 432 pieces of legislation related to women's status. The PCSW's very existence gave the federal government an incentive to again consider women's rights and roles as being a serious issue worthy of political debate and public policymaking. Within that same time period, the Supreme Court handed down rulings which allowed women to serve on juries and married couples to use contraceptives. The Kennedy administration itself publicly positioned the PCSW as a Cold War era initiative to free up women's talents for national security purposes. To win against "the reds", America needed everybody. America could not have everybody if the nation lacked information about women's sociologic status. Eleanor Roosevelt, widow of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was appointed to chair the PCSW (Harrison).
During the early history of the United States, a man virtually owned his wife and children as he did his material possessions. If a poor man chose to send his children to the poorhouse, the mother was legally defenseless to object. Some communities, however, modified the common law to allow women to act as lawyers in the courts, to sue for property, and to own property in their own names if their husbands agreed (“Women’s”). As late as 1970, the Ohio supreme court held that a wife was “at most a superior servant to her husband without legally recognized feelings or rights” (Inness). In almost every aspect of politics, women were considered inferior. The country was run by mostly men, and women had almost no say in any decisions. In the 60s and 70s, only a handful of women held political office. Between 1917 and 1976, 95 women served in the House and the Senate; a third (34) was widows who were elected or appointed to succeed their late husbands. Up to 1976, 46 percent of all women members had benefited from a familial connection (“Women in”). It was extremely hard for women to get a position in Congress unless they had the right connections. Women in Congress all had to deal with the social expectations concerning a woman’s role in the family. Congresswomen had to balance the demands of their private family life, and public perceptions about women’s responsibility to fulfill those demands, with those of their public career (“Women in”). Their male colleagues didn’t have to worry about situations like this. Men were supposed to be hard working and were not expected to worry about the duties that needed to be done at home. It was important to have women in congress because they have insight from a women’s point of view. Half of the country is made up of women, so it is only fair that they are represented in some way. Representative Emily Douglas of Illinois understood well how family responsibilities could affect women’s participation in politics. Douglas was elected to the House in 1944 as the mother of an 11-year-old daughter while her husband, Paul, who later became a U.S. Senator, was overseas in the military. “What everybody needs to make a good race is a good wife,” Congresswoman Douglas observed. “Now that’s where a woman is handicapped. When a man goes into politics and wins his wife is happy and proud to pull up stakes, corral her children, and move to the designated center of government. But a woman’s position is different, in that her husband often has a business, she has her home to maintain, and her children are established in school.” Yet, Congresswomen also understood that motherhood and familial duties provided them with a unique perspective on legislation that was not always prioritized by Congressmen (“Women in”). Many women were starting to see that they were not given the chance to share their knowledge and skills to help the country.
Women were also being discriminated against when it came to education. . In some cases, women were even looked down upon for going to college. People thought that they were ignoring their duties in the home. Some said that women were wasting their time by going to school because they were just going to end up staying at home. Some major universities limited the number of female students they accepted. There were also many universities that did not allow any women. They were separated by sex. There were all-women universities and all-men universities. This was unfair and brought up the old “separate but equal” conflict. During the Second-wave feminism movement, women got together to stand up for their rights to the same higher education that men received. They held protests and made sure that they were heard. The women were arguing that they had just as much intelligence as men did and could do very well in major universities. With all of their hard work and determination, people started to see the problem and officials were willing to make some changes. Many of the most prominent American men's colleges, including multiple Ivy League institutions, became co-ed. Some women's colleges also responded by becoming coeducational, such as the Seven Sister Radcliffe College, which followed Tulane University and H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College and merged with Harvard University. In addition, another Seven Sister college, Vassar College, declined an offer to merge with Yale University and instead became coeducational in 1969. Sarah Lawrence College declined an offer to merge with Princeton University and became coeducational in 1969. Connecticut College also became co-ed in 1969 (Roth). The women’s protests were very successful. They got organized and spoke for what they believed in and made changes.
Women were highly discriminated against in the workforce. Newspapers divided job ads into “male” and “female” sections. Women worked jobs in places such as textile mills and garment shops. In poorly ventilated, crowded rooms women worked for as long as 12 hours a day (Echols). They were offered very low wage positions. Most women worked clerical positions. Women were working just as hard as men were and did not receive the same pay. In many states, husbands still controlled their wives earnings (Roth). Women have so many talents and skills that they could contribute to society, but they were not given the opportunity. Men were able to find a job that they enjoyed and struggle their way up the ladder. It could make their life meaningful and it gave them a goal to reach. Women could never have that opportunity. They were just expected to live at home and do chores. They had nothing to look forward to or work for.
Women continued to protest and have their voices heard. This new feminism burst onto the national scene at the Miss America beauty pageant of 1968. Protestors filled a “freedom trash can” with objects of “oppression”- girdles, brassieres, high-heeled shoes, and copies of Playboy and Cosmopolitan. Inside the hall, demonstrators held banners with the slogans “Freedom for Women” and “Women’s Liberation” (Echols). After this event, the women of the feminine movement became known as “bra burners”. The story had been exaggerated and people had heard that the women lit the trashcans on fire. This showed the country that these women were determined to make some changes. It shocked people all over the country, but it also inspired so many women.
The “bra burners” had done enough protesting to get the attention of the government. There was new legislation that had passed to give women more rights and to make sure that they were recognized. The Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963. This law banned sex discrimination among holders of the same job. Finally, women were able to be paid the money that they deserved. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was also passed (Harrison). It illegalized employment discrimination on the basis of sex as well as race, religion, and national origin. This was a big achievement for the bra burners and all women. Women were now given the opportunity to have a job they actually wanted and enjoyed.
In today’s society, women have so many choices and opportunities that they didn’t have years before. A woman is no longer considered inferior to a man. We take these privileges for granted. So many women had to fight and work so hard to get us where we are today. The Second-Wave feminism movement was a very important part of history. If it wasn’t for those women who gave up so much to stand up for what they believed in, women today would probably not be as successful as they are.

Outline

Introduction
During the 1960s and 70s, women were discriminated against in many different aspects. They were not able to use and share their many talents and skills with the world. They had a limited choice when it came to what they could do with their lives.
I. Politics
a. Only a handful of women held political office
b. As late as 1970, the Ohio Supreme Court held that a wife was at most a superior servant to her husband without legally recognized feelings or rights
II. Education
a. Major Universities limited the number of female students they accepted
b. Women who went to college were looked down upon for not wanting to fulfill their duties at home
III. Employment
a. Newspapers divided job ads into “male” and “female” sections
b. Women were limited to low wage clerical positions
IV. Opening America’s eyes
a. The Feminine Mystique
i. Published in 1963 by Betty Friedan
ii. Friedan had written articles in 1940s about pay discrimination against women workers and racism in the workplace
iii. It painted a devastating picture of talented, educated women trapped in a world that viewed marriage and motherhood as their primary goals
iv. She received desperate letters from female readers relating how the suburban dream had become a nightmare
b. President Kennedy started the President’s Commission on the Status of Women in 1963
i. Eleanor Roosevelt was appointed the chairman
ii. Documented discrimination against women in virtually every area of American life
V. Bra Burners
a. The new feminism burst onto the national scene at the Miss America beauty pageant of 1968
b. Protestors filled a “freedom trashcan” with objects of “oppression”-girdles, brassieres, high-heeled shoes, and copies Playboy and Cosmopolitan
c. Inside the hall, demonstrators held banners with the slogans “Freedom for Women” and “Women’s Liberation”
VI. New legislation and government action
a. The Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963
i. Banned sex discrimination among holders of the same job
b. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed
i. Illegalized employment discrimination on the basis of sex as well as race, religion, and national origin
c. The National Organization for Women (NOW) was formed in 1966
i. Its mission was to function as a legal “watchdog” for women of all races
VII. Conclusion

Topic Questions

For my paper I will describe how women stood up for themselves and their rights in the 1960s. I will start my research with a couple basic questions.

What opened America's eyes to the discrimination against women?

What did women do to make sure that they were heard?

Did they make any changes? What changes? Who did these changes affect? How?

My Topic

I joined the Women learning community. I was interested in writing a paper about how far women have come throught history and how hard they had to fight to earn their equal rights. The topic of my paper has to do with the "second wave" of feminism. During the 60s and the 70s, women were inspired to stand up for themselves and their rights. In 1961 President John F. Kennedy created the President's Commission on the Status of Women and appointed Eleanor Roosevelt to lead it. The report documented discrimination against women in America. They were being discrimnated against when it came to employment, education, etc. This started a whole new movement for womens' rights. I plan to research how these women felt and what they did to make a difference in society.