Betty Friedan

1963 - The Feminine Mystique, articulated women's frustration with being only wives and mothers.

The book helped revive the women's rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s.

“Feminine mystique" refers to the idealization of the traditional female role

Constituted a conspiracy to prevent women from competing with men.

1966- Friedan founded the National Organization for Women (NOW), to the fight for equal rights for women.

Served as the first president of NOW until 1970

Rosa Parks was involved in and civil rights and NAACP before 1955.

December 1, 1955. Parks was riding home from work on the bus in Montgomery when she refused to give up her place in the front row of the "colored section" to a white man who could find no seat in the section for whites.

Her refusal to move to the back of bus defied local ordinances and Alabama state statutes requiring segregation in transportation.

Parks was arrested, jailed, and convicted of violating segregation laws.
The black community in Montgomery was outraged by the case

organized a bus boycott under the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In November 1956 a federal court ordered the Montgomery buses desegregated.

Women and Civil Rights Movement

Generally they do not receive the credit they deserve for their impact as civil rights activists of the 1960’s.

Female activists lie in the shadows of their male counterparts such as MLK and Malcolm X.

Black Panthers had female members but are mostly known for their male leadership.

Since slavery, it was women who raised and influenced the men who advocated freedom and equality.

Malcolm X attempted to give women their proper respect when he said in a speech, "behind every strong man stands a strong woman.“

Rosa Parks sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Ellis Baker aided the formation of the NAACP

Black women directly pushed for equality for African Americans, as did White women during the 1960’s.

Non-violent tactics and Civil Rights Movement inspired women’s movement.

Women's Movement

Equal Pay Act (1963) made it illegal to pay different wages to men and women who performed the same work.

New law had little effect on the wage gap between the sexes.

Female workers remained in jobs traditionally held by women, offering low wages and little prospect for advancement.

1963-the female worker's wages 58.9 % of the male worker.

Civil Rights Act/Title VII (1964)
barred employment discrimination based on sex, race, color, or ethnic origin.

Congressman Howard W. Smith added the word "sex" in an amendment to the act, to ensure its defeat.

Congresswoman Martha Griffiths and Senator Margaret Chase Smith led the campaign for approval of the amended act.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) set up to enforce the act.

Women grievances were largely ignored; they needed more political influence to be heard by the EEOC.

NOW, and Women's Equity Action League (WEAL), continued working for the enforcement Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

1950’s higher, female college population

The result was the creation of a class of highly educated, under-employed women.

1930’s-1940’s- women supporting brothers in college or war effort

Commission on the Status of Women by President Kennedy in 1961.

Reports documenting women's second class status; 50 commissions started.

People involved in these commissions joined with Betty Friedan in 1966 to found the National Organization for Women.

NOW was the first new feminist organization in almost fifty years.

1967 and 1968, a new branch of the movement was taking shape.

Under 30 women; many came direct from civil rights organizations where they had been pushed into traditional female work or attended various courses on women in universities.