Campaign- political rights 1960-92

• Civil Rights Act 1964

  A southern congressman, Howard Smith, wanted to sabotage the Civil Rights Act going through Congress by joking that sex should be added to the characteristics which the act intended to protect. This was adopted.
• Purpose of National Organization for Women

  It aimed for full participation of women in the mainstream of American society and an equal relationship with men

  These aims are different because they were more difficult than previous aims of other women’s organisations
• Feminist movements were influenced by civil rights movements for African Americans

  • Because it aimed for a single constitutional change
  • threatens idea of suburban culture
• Ideas of Betty Friedman influenced 1960s feminism

  She had new kind of feminist ideas which challenged the basis of women’s role in society

  She demanded for political and social change
• Significance of Report on American women

  Highly educated women worked on this survey and was read by the elite, who found the statistics of unequal pay, opportunities, political participation and status disturbing
• Shift to Democratic leadership

  It gave way to a reforming Democratic administration of JFK

  His New Frontier gave the impression that change was needed after internal stagflation
• Subculture hindered feminism

  At the core of women’s lack of political advancement was a social change - there was a major migration from urban centres to the suburbs

  1970s- 80 million Americans were suburban

  It developed a culture - encouraged a divide in roles of sexes and acted against women who took political participation
• Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society reforms

  Maintained the emphasis on reform with a rapid series of domestic measures - issues from civil rights to healthcare and education and to create a Great Society
• Main challenges

  It wasn’t united in its aims and strategy

  Faced considerable conservative opposition

  Neither political parties took up the causes directly

  Radical supporters alienated mainstream support
• Feminist movements in 1960s and 1970s focused on issues beyond what was addressed by earlier movements

  Because their aim was equality, which earlier suffrage movements lacked
• Women’s Equity League action differs from NOW

  Women’s Equity League Action rejected NOW’s support abortion law reform and focused on equality in education, as they brought against 300 schools and colleges
• NOW seeks to enforce legal actions against sex discrimination

  They brought legal actions against employees who broke the 1967 executive order against sex discrimination by companies with federal contracts