1960's Counter-Culture Movement

The 1960’s continued a movement which transformed the role of the women and society. This counter-culture movement sprang from the oppressive decade that was the 1950’s but also continuing the social and civil rights revolution that had been seen in the first half of the 20th century. The term ‘feminism’ was coined by the French philosopher Fourier in 1837 but took decades for this concept to develop into a movement which shaped the world we see today. Most historians categorize the Feminist movement into three distinct divisions, those being the First, Second and Third waves of Feminism. The first took place during the early 19th century, and revolved around women's suffrage. The movement was split into two distinct groups, the suffragettes …show more content…
Second wave feminism is usually said to have begun with the publication of Betty Friedan’s book The Feminine Mystique, which set out to describe “the problem that has no name.” This problem was later identified as misogyny and became clear to the American populace that this was a major issue. Friedan described a constricting social and economic system that affected mostly middle class women, but it resonated with the educated classes and led to the foundation of the National Organization of Women (NOW) in 1966. Others may cite the FDA approval of the contraceptive pill in 1961, which allowed women to have stable careers without the fear of unexpected pregnancy. Either way, these two key events played a major role in furthering the quality of life for women in the 20th …show more content…
In an except from the text they stated they would “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." Six core issues were also identified and labeled, these are abortion and reproductive health services access, violence against women, constitutional equality, promoting diversity/ending racism, lesbian rights, and economic justice. With clear goals and media coverage steadily rising on the cause, this slingshotted the feminist movement into the mainstream and created a significant culture which revolved around equality. During 1967, many women's liberation groups started to spring up all over the United States. As time went on, attention to the cause grew, and advocates staged protests in the form of marches, rallies, and symbolic acts such as bra burning which caught a lot of media attention. This perpetual cycle of action creating attention which created more action continued for many years as goals were met. There were significant advancements in reproductive health services, pro-choice laws, domestic violence prevention which all led to a more inclusive and equal society for