English project

12LH2

The Role of Women in American Society

From the 50’s to a hopeful future

Cláudia Santos, 13

Jessica Galvão, 19

Sofia Santos, 29

Index1 – Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….. 1

2 – The Fifties………………………………………………………………………….….….. 2

3 – The Sixties………………………………………………………………………...………. 3

4 – The Seventies…………………………………………………………………………… 4/5

5 – From the Eighties until today…………………………………………………………… 5/6

6 – Conclusion……………………………………………………………………...………… 7

7 – Webgraphy………………………………………………………………………………... 8

1 – Introduction

Women do not have the same role as men in society, though much progress has been

made to bring women to a stage where they have equal rights, equal pay, and equal

independence, but still it is not achieved. In fact, that progress dates back to the 19th century

and the early 20th century with the first wave of feminism, focused mainly on women’s

suffrage. Therefore, women like Lucy Stone or Susan Brownell Anthony fought for equal

political rights and were considered the first big reformers of women’s role in society - the

right to vote was achieved in 1920.

However, in this project we’ll focus the decades when there were bigger changes in this

subject, which started around the Fifties. As we have studied before, besides the role of

women in the Fifties was still inferior and submissive, that standard was less rigid than in

previous decades. The stage for the Sixties and then the Sixties and the Sixties themselves

were the most tumultuous and remarkable years for women’s emancipation. They fueled the

feminist movement and prompted the “Women’s Liberation” expression, and were followed

by many other political and economic changes all over the world. The next decades also met

several changes and achievements for women emancipation, which are still reflected in

today’s society.

It took more than sixty long years for women to get more and more independent from

men in society, without being judge or disrespected. In fact, formerly they won the battle,

because in legislative terms they achieved gender equality. However, many traditionalist

stereotypes still demean them and there’s a lot to be done yet.

2 – The 50’sDuring World War II, when men went there, women were also encouraged to join the

war effort. At that point, they had to replace men at the factories by doing their jobs. This had

never been seen before: women were doing men’s job. This meant something huge; this

meant that women could do the same things as men and that they weren’t much different,

after all. When the World War II ended, the number of working women dropped, as there

were already enough men able to come back to their former jobs. Nevertheless, women

started to wonder what they could and should do besides being housewives. By this time,

many women got angry and resentful because they had found a degree of self-definition they

had not previously known and that was being taken from them. But yet, as they didn’t feel

fearless enough to claim their wishes, women came back to their usual duty: housekeeping

and taking care of the children. 

The advertisements often showed smiling women with their arms loaded with cooked

food, or a woman cleaning the house and looking happy and satisfied to be doing that and

nothing else. This was actually the typical woman of that decade. Her jobs were to get

married with a prestigious and respected man, to take care of the house, have children – to

ensure the family legacy and generation –, to take care of them and raise them as close as

possible according to the rules and traditions of society. Their only goal in life was to

guarantee the pleasures of their husband and children.

Yet, in the second half of the decade, society started to open up a little bit the concepts

of the role of women. A few of them, the more wealthy and influent ones, could attend

colleges and extend their knowledge and skills. However, most of them weren’t able to finish

the degree as they were forced to quit to get married. Even if they actually made it to the end,

women didn’t plan to get a subsequent job.

 In 1959, three revolutionary books on women were published: "A Century of

Struggle" by Eleanor Flexner, which concerned the 19th century women's movement; "A

Century of Higher Education for American Women" by Mabel Newcomer, about the position

of women in the academic world; and "Women and Work in America" by Robert Smuts,

which concerned women's role in society between 1890 and 1950.

However, the period of the World War II wasn’t forgotten by many women, as it is

considered to be the first step into their afterward emancipation. The woman had managed to

keep the family up in times of war, proving her true values. That was one of the most

important accomplishments that occurred in this decade and that served to show to everyone

that women were able to do much more things than only the housekeeping. Most of all, that

they could do the same things as men, and, therefore, they weren’t so different after all.

3 – The 60’sIn the Sixties, deep cultural and political changes were altering the role of women in

American society. It was a complex decade, surrounded by the rise of the counterculture,

protests against Vietnam War and the nationalisms, and the increasing of activism in national

issues, such as civil rights, which included the protection of women’s rights. Therefore, the

growing entering of women in job market created dissatisfaction among women regarding

huge gender disparities in pay and advancement and sexual harassment at the workplace.

Considering that, one of the main points of women’s emancipation of the Sixties was

to dismantle workplace inequality, such as the denial of access to better jobs and salary

inequity, via anti-discrimination legislation. Thus, in 1961, President John F. Kennedy took

the advice of an assistant secretary of labour, Esther Peterson, and established a commission

on the status of women to create a plan to help women fill their dual public and private roles.

In 1963, Congress ratified legislation prohibiting differentials by sex in wage rates in private

industry, the first such employment discrimination law. But the way women were seen by

society also changed in other areas. In 1961 the governments approved a birth control pill,

which freed many women from unwanted pregnancy and gave them many choices and

freedom, in their personal lives. In 1963, the publication of “The Feminine Mystique”, by

Betty Friedan, captured the frustration and even the despair of a generation of college-

educated housewives who felt trapped and unfulfilled, and mobilized a growing number of

women who followed their ideology. The civil rights and anti-war movements politicized and

radicalized a growing number of women bombarded with contradictory expectations and

images about work and family.

Therefore, Betty Friedan’s activity is considered to have originated the second wave of

feminism, essentially focused on the fight for cultural, social and politic equality, and was

based on the creation of NOW (National Organization for Women), in 1966. Another

remarkable occurrence in this decade was the Miss America peasant protest in 1968, when a

group of women threw into a “Freedom Trash Can” feminine symbols they considered related

to oppression such as high-heeled shoes, corsets, and girdles. This protest was led by activists

such as the famous Betty Friedan, Robin Morgan and Carol Hanisch.

All these happenings were crucial in the revolution of women’s role in society,

because they helped people changing gradually their minds and accepting some of the basic

goals of the Sixties feminism: equal pay for equal work, an end to domestic violence,

restriction of severe limits on women in administrative jobs, an end to sexual harassment, and

sharing of responsibility for housework and child rearing. Meanwhile, as expectations for a

comfortable middle-class lifestyle rose, having two incomes became indispensable to achieve

this lifestyle, making women's participation in the workforce something more acceptable.

However, the achievement of total gender equality was still incomplete even in the end of the

Sixties, which generated new activist movements in the subsequent decades.

4 – The 70’sIn the Seventies, women started to experience many ways of freedom at several points

of their lives, due to the revolutions that marked the previous decade. With the arrival of the

birth control Pill in 1961, women realised that they finally could complete years of training or

study and launch their careers without being interrupted by pregnancy. Therefore, a wave of

young women began applying to medical, law, and business schools in the early 1970s.

Many subjects considered as taboos in the former decades, as sexual and reproductive

liberation, could be discussed more openly, as the whole country had become more sensitive

to issues of fairness, equality and individual freedom. In the early 1970's the abortion issue

was suddenly settled by the U.S. Supreme Court in the feminists' favour. Moreover, the

Congress finally passed an Equal Rights Amendment stating "Equality of rights under the law

shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." No

matter how difficult and lengthy the struggle for ratification may turn out to be, and no matter

how often it may fail, feminists were hopeful that the amendment will ultimately be adopted.

Meanwhile, the women's movement was producing a huge number of newspapers and

magazines in local communities across the country. While these were produced largely

concerning just the members of the movement, Gloria Steinem's Ms’ Magazine, founded in

1971, expanded the audience to the general public at a national level. It revealed the struggles

ordinary women faced, publishing inspirational stories of successful women, and covering

several activists’ efforts across the country.

At the same time, the women’s movement also proceeded at the law level, using class

action lawsuits, formal complaints, protests, and hearings to create a legal change. By the late

1970s, they had made concrete huge improvements, including the outlawing of gender

discrimination in education, college sports, and obtaining financial credit; the banning of

employment discrimination against pregnant women; the legalization of abortion and birth

control, etc. Members of the women's movement were really excited by these successes.

In the August of 1970, Women's Strike for Equality, a nationwide wave of protests and

marches, started to become optimistic. However, it soon gave way to a backlash represented

by the failure of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The Equal Rights Amendment was a

proposed constitutional change that would protect women's rights and the gender equality.

The Congress approved it right away in 1972 and it was ratified by 30 states by the end of the

following year. Still, it was unable to gain the 8 additional ratifications necessary, so it

expired by 1982. At first, there was widespread public support for the ERA. However, an

amount of people was still very conservative when it came to the changes of men's and

women's roles. Furthermore, this time also matched a movement against gay and rights,

carried out particularly by the Christian right wing. Moreover, while the women's movement

failed to communicate the benefits of the ERA – and, therefore it was hard for the public to

see how positive could the amendment be –, the ERA's opponents, on the other hand, painted

a vivid picture of the terrible effects the ERA could have on the country, arguing that it would

dismantle the foundations of American society, especially the family. Although the ERA had

failed, and the backlash against feminism has continued, the struggle for women's rights has

also continued, leaving a lasting impact on American society.

Finally, we can affirm that the Seventies were a decade of truly rough changes. It was

a continuation of the ideals and rights protected and advocated by the rebel and revolutionary

movements of the Sixties. In other words, the Seventies were the concrete resolution and

application of what the Sixties claimed for, changing dramatically the role of women in

society from that era to beyond.

5 – From the 80’s until todayWith the decline of ERA, the public opinion shifted toward acceptance and

conformism.  Many believed that all issues had already been settled, that the activism coupled

with the influx of women into professional positions had created equality. The ERA was

unnecessary where women were content with their roles in society. Unfortunately, that

perception was not realized, and in the 1980s, many achievements of the equal rights

movement were eroded.  Moreover, social problems for women accelerated. Domestic and

other violence against women increased, as their poverty, rendering many women and their

dependent children homeless.  At the same time, women in the professions began to realize

that their progresses in their fields were not conquered, after all.

The increased economic fissure between social classes began to affect attitudes at this

time, and women who stayed home in a traditional lifestyle started to be rejected by others,

while at the same time there seemed to be an attitude of choice between work and kids, as

they couldn’t do both. Many of these women, of course, felt indignant of the idea of choice, as

they were working longer and harder in the same jobs for fewer salaries than men. They,

really felt the necessity to work, as they were stuck into long-term mortgages.  So women, at

this time, were not only under pressure to prove that they could be as successful as men in the

workforce, but to keep the home fires tended and  keep their appearance up, too, to remain

attractive to men.

Besides this pressure around the role of women, the Eighties brought an important

number of triumphs in new domains of society: in 1981, Sandra Day O'Connor was the first

lady to act as Supreme Court Justice; in 1984, Geraldine Ferraro became the first woman

nominated for Vice President by a major party; also in 1984, Katherine Sullivan became the

first American walking in space.

In the 1990’s, American women learned that they could rise to leadership roles besides

the bigger effort needed, and that they must devote a great deal more time than men. Thus,

1992 was known as the "Year of the Woman" because many women were elected to political

office that year, as they had never been like that before. However, gender seemed to stand as a

problem in society and people considered the first and second waves of feminism had failed.

Therefore, the Nineties gave voice to a third wave of feminism, which tried to revitalize the

goals of the previous decades, but made its own contributions as well. Black women such as

Gloria Anzaldúa, Chela Sandoval and Audre Lorde developed new concepts focused on the

intersection between race and gender.

From those decades until nowadays there wasn’t much more remarkable changes

influencing the role of women in society. When comparing to the primordial of women’s

liberation movement, we can see the drastic transformations that occurred over the past

decades, considering the achievements around the politic, economic and social equality. In

fact, all the feminist goals were achieved until nearly Nineties in a legislative and formal way.

However, there is still much to change in people’s consciences, and that’s not as easy as it

seems. Changing society’s morality is more difficult than change the laws, so these ones can

be approved without the acceptance of part of society. Consequently, there are still many

gender stereotypes that need to be changed, even in a more and more globalized world, which

block a complete execution of an egalitarian women’s role in their society.

6 – ConclusionWe can now assure that the role of women has gone through plenty of changes

throughout the Twentieth Century, which can also be reflected in our nowadays’ society.

Although American women achieved the right to vote in 1920, some other changes

and victories have been a longer time coming, and the journey of progress has often been

uneven. During the Sixties, in the United States began a period of considerable social

changes. In women’s matters, the result was a phenomenon known as the women’s

movement. Influenced by the success of the civil rights movement for racial equality and

other progressive currents invading the nation during the Sixties and Seventies, a wide part of

organizations and lobbying groups claimed for full equality for American women as well.

Their purpose was not only for a revision of American institutions, customs and values, but

also for a revolution in people’s awareness — in the minds of women as well as men — and

especially in the way women thought about themselves. Not everyone welcomed the resulting

changes, as evidenced by the formation of a number of organizations intent on contradicting

what they viewed as uncontrolled feminism. Although this circumstances, there is no doubt

that the changes have been hugely productive. American women are living very different lives

in the Nineties than they did in the Fifties and earlier.

Women have achieved their goals and have won the struggles they have been fighting

for, along these fifty years. It’s now fine to say that women have the same rights as men – at

least legally – and that they achieved all this changes by themselves, by their willingness, by

their courage, by their strong determination and by their hard work. This leads to the cliché of

which one is the stronger sex after all.

From the traditional Fifties to the revolutionary Sixties, going through the remarkable

Seventies and ending in the steady Eighties and Nineties, the role of women in the American

society has passed through several amazing alterations over the years, changing radically their

lives and the society itself

“Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed.  If I fail, no one will say, "She doesn't have what it takes."  They will say, "Women don't have what it takes."

- Clare Boothe Luce

“Some of us are becoming the men we wanted to marry.”

- Gloria Steinem

7 – Annexes

1 – Sexist adds from the 50’s.

3 - Gloria Steinem’s magazine (1972). 4 – The decline of ERA.

5 – Examples offeminist quotes.

8 – Webgraphy http://www.classic70s.com/

http://tavaana.org/en/content/1960s-70s-american-feminist-movement-breaking-down-

barriers-women#_edn44

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second-wave_feminism

http://www2.ivcc.edu/gen2002/twentieth_century.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/jmurray_01.shtml

http://www.now.org/issues/economic/cea/history.html#1970

http://www.sewallbelmont.org/learn/womens-history-in-the-u-s/

http://www.123helpme.com/preview.asp?id=97078

http://www2.ivcc.edu/gen2002/twentieth_century.htm

http://www.slideshare.net/michaellbess/changing-roles-of-women-1357348

http://www.sewallbelmont.org/2012/12/the-evolution-or-not-of-gender-norms-and-

marriage/

http://www.wikipedia.org/