THE FEMINIST MOVEMENT IN THE USA

1.What is meant by the Second Wave FeministMovement in USA?

Second-wave feminism. Second-wavefeminism is a period of feminist activity and thought that

first began in the early 1960s in the United States, and eventually spread throughout the Western
world and beyond. In the United States the movement lasted through the early 1980s.

2.State the reasons for the origin of the Feminist Movement in the US (4)
Ans.In the 1950s and 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement was creating a climate of
protest as activists claimed rights and new positions in society for people of
color.Women filled significant roles in organizations fighting for civil rights like
the Student National Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).
However, women often found that those organizations—enlightened as they
might have been about racial issues or the war in Vietnam—could still be
influenced by patriarchal ideas of male superiority.

In 1963, writer and feminist Betty Friedan published The Feminine

Mystique, a nonfiction book in which she contested the post-World War II
belief that it was women’s destiny to marry and bear children. Friedan’s book
was a best-seller and began to raise the consciousness of many women who
agreed that homemaking in the suburbs sapped them of their individualism
and left them
unsatisfied.Friedan turned her research into a magazine article, but when several magazines refused t
o publish the story, she expanded her work into a book. Released in 1963, The Feminine Mystique explore
d society's image of the ideal woman and the resulting depression many women experienced when they f
ailed to live up to that ideal. Friedan urged women to look beyond society's stereotyped female role and di
scover their true desires.

The Feminine Mystique quickly became a controversial best-

seller, with millions of copies sold. By giving a name to a formerly nameless problem, and by making wom
en realize they were far from alone in their anxiety and restlessness, The Feminine Mystique laid the grou
ndwork for an emerging women's movement. Betty Friedan became a nationally recognized spokesperso
n for women, particularly middle-
class women, who began to voice their demand to be treated on equal terms with men.
President John F. Kennedy organized the Presidential Commission on the Status of
Women in 1961, which helped usher in change such as the Equal Pay Act of 1963,
making wage discrimination a federal crime, and the end of gender discrimination in the
federal workplace. Moreover, women were included in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when
gender discrimination was outlawed in addition to race discrimination.
As a result, three major campaigns formed during the decade to create what became
known as the second wave of feminism. These campaigns were represented by
individuals within the following classifications: liberal feminism, radical feminism and
conservative feminism. These groups clashed throughout the 1960s and early 1970s
over the roles and rights of women in society, and the movement eventually came to a
climax over the Equal Rights Amendment.
In 1966, the National Organization for Women (NOW), formed and
proceeded to set an agenda for the feminist movement. Framed by a
statement of purpose written by Friedan, the agenda began by proclaiming
NOW’s goal to make possible women’s participation in all aspects of American
life and to gain for them all the rights enjoyed by men. Among the specific
goals set was the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), a
proposed Constitutional Amendment guaranteeing equal rights for women.
First introduced in Congress in 1923, the ERA was passed in 1972 but failed to
receive the 38 state ratifications necessary to become part of the Constitution.
It has yet to be adopted today.

3. State the implications of the Equal Pay Act,1963 for American women (2)
Ans. When President Kennedy enacted the Equal Pay Act (EPA) in 1963, women were actually
earning even less – or 59 cents for every dollar earned by men, according to the National Equal
Enforcement Task Force(PDF). The EPA was enacted for this very reason; so that men and women
are given equal pay for equal work. The EPA requires, as a general rule, that men and women
who work in jobs that are substantively equal in terms of skill, effort, responsibility, and working
conditions shall receive the same pay. The original bill that was proposed required equal pay for
“comparable work.” The following year, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 further strengthened
laws against discrimination by making it illegal to discriminate on the basis of sex for pay benefits, as
well as race, color, religion, national origin, age, or disability.

4. Briefly discuss the socio-cultural impact of the Feminist Movement

Ans.The numerous small grassroots organizations formed a part of the women's movement distinctfrom t
he larger organizations, a branch that cameto be known as the women's liberation movement.Implying a
more radical agenda, the word "liberation" suggests that women had been oppressed by men for thousan
ds of years, and that freedom from that oppression was a more pressing need than simply achieving equal
ity.

While the national organizations lobbied Congress, brought lawsuits, and petitioned businesses to achieve
practical goals, the women's liberation movement focused on revolutionizing women's perceptions of the
mselves and men's perceptions of women. Such a focus gave rise to the expression "the personal is politi
cal," which suggests that any subject related to a woman's liberation could now be considered a political i
ssue. Activists in the women's liberation movement concentrated on issues that the mainstream women's
movement did not address, such as society's standards of beauty. They criticized the way the media portr
ayed an unrealistic and overly feminine ideal which most women could never achieve. They also sought c
ontrol over their sexual and reproductive rights and addressed violence against women, including rape an
d domestic abuse. Members of the movement also ridiculed the notion that women should find complete f
ulfillment in housework and child-rearing.
The women's liberation movement attracted many of those who had been formerly active in the civil rights
movement. Although their civil rights activism was limited in many ways by the men leading the organizati
ons, women did learn key tactics and techniques that proved beneficial to their own movement. They help
ed the women's movement