The Role Of Feminism In The 1960s

The Feminist Movement of the 1960s also known as the Second Wave of Feminism began during the early years of the 1960s and lasted throughout the late 1980s. The second wave of feminism focused on a wide range of issues like sexu-ality, gender inequalities in the workplace, family and reproductive rights. In 1863, the Woman’s National Loyal League organized support for an amendment that would end slavery forever. Since woman did not yet have the right to vote, they had the right to petition the government. The League accumulated over 100,000 signatures which were delivered to a United States Senator. Women who were participating in reform organizations, like this one, found that their roles were restricted because they were prevented from voting …show more content…
In 1963, Betty Friedan’s publishes her highly influential book “The Feminine Mystique”. The book played a crucial role in the public reawakening of feminist consciousness. The book became a best-seller and put in perspective that many talented intellectual women were trapped and held back from reaching their full potential due to a world that viewed marriage and motherhood as their primary goal. In 1966, the National Organization for Women (NOW) was founded by a group of feminist including Betty Friedan. The founding of NOW marked the formation of an official group to represent and campaign for women rights. The Second Wave of Feminism made great strides in the areas of equality, labor and reproduction by claiming many victories such as the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Reproductive Rights and the Equal Rights Amendment. The feminist movement of the 1960s is historically significant because it was a major event that contributed to the expansion of women rights. Feminist drew attention to the significance of sexual division in the workplace and at home. They raised awareness on a broad set of issues including: legal inequalities, sexuality and reproductive …show more content…
Histori-ans believe that Betty Friedan was a key catalyst in the feminist movement of the 1960s. Historians discuss the way in which she depicted the roles of women in industrial societies and in particular the full-time housewife role. After her second child, Friedman stayed home to care for her family but being the educated women that she was, the “house-wife” role for her wasn't cutting it. Wondering if other woman felt the same way, at her college reunion, Friedan sur-veyed her female classmates. Friedan asked her classmates about their life and became very “unsettled by the degree of dissatisfaction they reported and began working on an article about women's experiences of giving up work and further education for motherhood” (Friedan, 1966, p. 283). Historians believe that Friedan wrote this document with hopes that the United States will allow women to enjoy “the true equality of opportunity and responsibility in society, without conflict with their responsibilities as mothers and homemakers” (Friedan, 1966, p. 293). Historians main argu-ment is that the inequality of women rights is not just a personal problem for each individual women but rather a problem in society as a whole. Betty Friedan became the voice for all women and individuals being