الحركة النسوية الثانية في الولايات المتحدة

Women's Suffrage & the Second Wave Feminist Movement

• Many women gained suffrage (voting rights) by the mid-20th century. However, gender segregation persisted in the workforce and they often lacked economic power, facing domestic violence.
• These conditions fueled the second-wave feminist movement in the post-war era. This movement focused on legal rights, workplace equality, and reproductive freedom.

US Second Wave Feminism of the 1960s

• The US feminist movement began in the 1960s, emphasizing equal pay and reproductive rights.
• The Equal Pay Act of 1963 aimed for equal pay but lacked strong enforcement.
• The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited gender discrimination but initial implementation was limited.
• The National Organization for Women (NOW) was formed in 1966 to advocate for employment rights and the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).
• NOW achieved victories with Executive Order 11375, banning sexual discrimination in government.
• Landmark court cases like Griswold v. Connecticut and Eisenstadt v. Baird legalized contraception for all, while Roe v. Wade legalized abortion nationwide.

Challenges and Redefinitions

• Women began entering universities, pursuing careers, and taking on leadership roles, challenging traditional domestic roles.
• Increased sexual freedom, due to the oral contraceptive pill, gave women greater control over their lives.
• Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique" challenged the "housewife ideal," encouraging women to pursue their ambitions.

Women's Role in Post-1945 Political Change

• Women's participation in civil rights organizations (e.g., SNCC, SDS) was crucial, but they often faced gender discrimination.
• The National Organization for Women (NOW) emerged in response to the lack of enforcement of Civil Rights laws regarding gender issues and becoming a powerful advocacy group for gender equality, reproductive rights, and the ERA.
• Key leaders like Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, and Shirley Chisholm, significantly influenced the movement.

Criticism and Progress

• The movement faced criticism for primarily focusing on middle-class white women, neglecting others.
• Women's contributions to birth control and abortion access played a role in political change after 1945.