Movements for Change: Feminism

Gender, Sex, and Sexuality SOCI 1306 Movements for Change: Feminism Misogyny is one of the fundamental problems that still affects women in the US. This is bias towards, dislike for, or hate of women. Misogyny is the belief that males are better than women in all spheres of life, and it has developed throughout time. Several movements have been launched in an effort to combat this bias. Writer and feminist Betty Friedan challenged the post-World War II notion that women's only fate was to marry and have children in her 1963 book The Feminine Mystique. Many women, who felt that raising a family in the suburbs robbed them of their individualism and left them unfulfilled, had their consciousness raised by Friedan's book. Following its founding in 1966, the National Organisation for Women (NOW) set out to define the goals of the feminist movement. The agenda, which was framed by a statement of purpose penned by Friedan, started out by announcing NOW's mission to secure for women all the rights enjoyed by males and to enable their involvement in all facets of American society. Protests and other acts by feminists aimed at raising awareness and enacting change. For instance, the 1968 Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City saw protests by the New York Radical Women to draw attention to the contest's and society's exploitation of women. The demonstrators threw bras, girdles, curlers, high-heeled shoes, and other items of feminine oppression into a "freedom trash can." News reports mischaracterized the demonstration as a "bra burning," which was a tactic used at the time to trivialise and denigrate the women's rights movement (Gay 2018). In a world where males predominate in politics, society, and entertainment, other protests provided women a more prominent voice. Ladies Home Journal was a hugely prominent women's magazine that was published and run nearly exclusively by males for many years. Even the advice pieces and beauty articles were written by men. Protesters staged a sit-in at the magazine's headquarters in 1970, calling for the business to appoint a female editor-in-chief, recruit female and non-White authors at equitable compensation, and broaden the magazine's scope. But feminists were worried about far more than just demonstrations. They established battered women's shelters and successfully campaigned in the 1970s for funding for schools that aimed to combat sexist stereotypes of women, reform of rape laws (such as the removal of provisions requiring a witness to attest to a woman's report of rape), and protection from discrimination in the workplace for pregnant women. In the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down several state statutes that prohibited abortions performed within the first three months of pregnancy. This turned a nontherapeutic abortion into a nationally approved medical treatment. Gloria Steinem became a well-known supporter of women's rights after breaking past gender stereotypes to take on challenging journalistic topics. Through her work, Steinem came into contact with Dorothy Pittman-Hughes, who had established the Agency for Child Development and the first refuge for victims of domestic abuse in New York City. Together, they created Ms. Magazine, which focused more on stories about women's rights and empowerment than on fashion and homemaking. Among the first periodicals to bring domestic abuse, sexual harassment, and body image concerns to the national debate, Ms. featured strong and talented women like Shirley Chisholm and Sissy Farenthold (Pogrebrin 2011). Women's increased participation in politics has resulted in several advancements for women's rights. For example, the Education Amendments Act of 1972, whose Title IX forbids sex discrimination in education, was co-authored by Patsy Mink, the first Asian American woman elected to Congress. Since her early years, when she was a student at the University of Nebraska and protested racial segregation in campus dormitories, Mink has been involved in the struggle against prejudice in education. After being turned down for entrance to medical school due to her gender, she attended law school. Similar to Mink, a large number of women ran for and were elected to public office, many with the support of the NWPC, the National Women's Political Caucus. Bella Abzug, Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm, and other prominent feminists founded the NWPC in 1971 with the goals of promoting women's involvement in political parties, helping elect women to office, and raising campaign funds. It was Shirley Chisholm who directly assumed leadership of the cause of women in politics. She started a career in early childhood education and advocacy after graduating from Brooklyn College and Columbia University. Her parents are immigrants. She worked on election campaigns, joined a number of political action organisations, and promoted economic and housing changes in the 1950s. She worked to improve racial and gender diversity in political and activist groups around New York City after quitting one because it wouldn't let women participate in decision-making. She was elected to Congress as the first Black woman in 1968. Instead of adopting the reserved position that new Representatives were supposed to play, she started supporting bills and initiatives right away. She opposed the Vietnam War and worked to overturn a presidential veto of the national school meal programme, which was finally signed into law. She also spoke out in favour of Head Start and other programmes. In the end, Chisholm would embark on a historic presidential bid in 1972, and it is believed that she opened the door for other women—particularly women of color—to rise to prominence in politics and society (Emmrich 2019).