Women's+Liberation

BACKGROUND
toc [|Feminist Chronicles: Timeline from 1953-1993] [|Documents from the Women's Liberation Movement]
 * Major Issues (esp. 1968-1982)
 * Birth Control
 * Abortion
 * Reproductive Rights
 * Sexism
 * Sexual Harrasment
 * Sex Discrimination
 * Domestic Violence

1950s/1960s Portrayals of Women/Women's Stereotypes [|"Leave it to Beaver" intro] [|Woman's Place is in the Kitchen ('Leave it to Beaver')]



[|Goodyear Commercial from 1970s] - Beware of women driving alone! [|Folger's Coffee Commercial]

GLORIA STEINEM
[|Gloria Steinem Interview]

TITLE IX (1972)
[|Title IX] [|Title IX-Inspired Webpage] Title IX in the News

ROE v. WADE (1973)
[|Roe v. Wade (1973) - Landmark Court Case] [|Supreme Court's Evolving Rulings on Abortion - NPR]

[|Replacing a Justice--The Controversy] [|YouTube -- Obama on Supreme Court & Abortion]

PROBLEMS STILL TODAY?
[|Male-Female Income Disparity ('Gender Gap')] [|Causes of the Gender Gap] [|Males v. Females -- College Enrollment]



DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

 * Saved for class!

SOME MAJOR EVENTS IN MODERN WOMEN'S HISTORY
(from [|http://www.voicesacrosstime.org/come-all-ye/ti/2006/Lesson%20Plans/09CooperWomensLiberation.html])
 * 1920 The 19th [|Amendment to the Constitution,] granting women the right to vote, is signed into law by Secretary of State [|Bainbridge Colby]. ||
 * 1921 [|Margaret Sanger] founds the American Birth Control League, which evolves into the [|Planned Parenthood] Federation of America in 1942. ||
 * 1935 [|Mary McLeod Bethune] organizes the National Council of Negro Women, a coalition of black women's groups that lobbies against job discrimination, racism, and sexism. ||
 * 1936 The federal law prohibiting the dissemination of contraceptive information through the mail is modified and [|birth control] information is no longer classified as obscene. Throughout the 1940s and 50s, birth control advocates are engaged in numerous legal suits. ||
 * 1955 The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB), the first lesbian organization in the United States, is founded. Although DOB originated as a social group, it later developed into a political organization to win basic acceptance for lesbians in the United States. ||
 * 1960 The [|Food and Drug Administration] approves birth control pills. ||
 * 1961 President [|John Kennedy] establishes the President's Commission on the Status of Women and appoints [|Eleanor Roosevelt] as chairwoman. The report issued by the Commission in 1963 documents substantial discrimination against women in the workplace and makes specific recommendations for improvement, including fair hiring practices, paid maternity leave, and affordable child care. ||
 * 1963 [|Betty Friedan] publishes her highly influential book //The Feminine Mystique//, which describes the dissatisfaction felt by middle-class American housewives with the narrow role imposed on them by society. The book becomes a best-seller and galvanizes the modern women's rights movement. ||
 * 1963 Congress passes the [|Equal Pay Act], making it illegal for employers to pay a woman less than what a man would receive for the same job. ||
 * 1964 Title VII of the [|Civil Rights Act] bars discrimination in employment on the basis of race and sex. At the same time it establishes the [|Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] (EEOC) to investigate complaints and impose penalties. ||
 * 1965 In Griswold v. Connecticut, the [|Supreme Court] strikes down the one remaining state law prohibiting the use of contraceptives by married couples. ||
 * 1966 The National Organization for Women (NOW) is founded by a group of feminists including [|Betty Friedan]. The largest women's rights group in the U.S., NOW seeks to end sexual discrimination, especially in the workplace, by means of legislative lobbying, litigation, and public demonstrations. ||
 * 1967 Executive Order 11375 expands President [|Lyndon Johnson's] [|affirmative action] policy of 1965 to cover discrimination based on gender. As a result, federal agencies and contractors must take active measures to ensure that women as well as minorities enjoy the same educational and employment opportunities as white males. ||
 * 1968 The [|EEOC] rules that sex-segregated help wanted ads in newspapers are illegal. This ruling is upheld in 1973 by the Supreme Court, opening the way for women to apply for higher-paying jobs hitherto open only to men. ||
 * 1969 California becomes the first state to adopt a "no fault" divorce law, which allows couples to divorce by mutual consent. By 1985 every state has adopted a similar law. Laws are also passed regarding the equal division of common property. ||
 * 1970 In Schultz v. Wheaton Glass Co., a U.S. Court of Appeals rules that jobs held by men and women need to be "substantially equal" but not "identical" to fall under the protection of the [|Equal Pay Act]. An employer cannot, for example, change the job titles of women workers in order to pay them less than men. ||
 * 1971 Ms. Magazine is first published as a sample insert in New York magazine; 300,000 copies are sold out in 8 days. The first regular issue is published in July 1972. The magazine becomes the major forum for feminist voices, and cofounder and editor [|Gloria Steinem] is launched as an icon of the modern feminist movement. ||
 * 1972 The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is passed by [|Congress] and sent to the states for ratification. Originally drafted by Alice Paul in 1923, the amendment reads: "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." The amendment died in 1982 when it failed to achieve ratification by a minimum of 38 states. ||
 * 1972 In Eisenstadt v. Baird the Supreme Court rules that the right to privacy includes an unmarried person's right to use contraceptives. ||
 * 1972 Title IX of the Education Amendments bans sex discrimination in schools. It states: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." As a result of Title IX, the enrollment of women in athletics programs and professional schools increases dramatically. ||
 * 1973 As a result of [|Roe v. Wade,] the Supreme Court establishes a woman's right to safe and legal abortion, overriding the anti-abortion laws of many states. ||
 * 1974 The Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibits discrimination in consumer credit practices on the basis of sex, race, marital status, religion, national origin, age, or receipt of public assistance. ||
 * 1974 In Corning Glass Works v. Brennan, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that employers cannot justify paying women lower wages because that is what they traditionally received under the "going market rate." A wage differential occurring "simply because men would not work at the low rates paid women" is unacceptable. ||
 * 1976 The first marital rape law is enacted in [|Nebraska,] making it illegal for a husband to rape his wife. ||
 * 1978 The Pregnancy Discrimination Act bans employment discrimination against pregnant women. Under the Act, a woman cannot be fired or denied a job or a promotion because she is or may become pregnant, nor can she be forced to take a pregnancy leave if she is willing and able to work. ||
 * 1984 EMILY's List (Early Money Is Like Yeast) is established as a financial network for pro-choice Democratic women running for national political office. The organization makes a significant impact on the increasing numbers of women elected to Congress. ||
 * 1986 Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, the Supreme Court finds that sexual harassment is a form of illegal job discrimination. ||
 * 1992 In Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the Supreme Court reaffirmed the validity of a woman's right to abortion under [|Roe v. Wade]. The case successfully challenged Pennsylvania's 1989 Abortion Control Act, which sought to reinstate restrictions previously ruled unconstitutional. ||
 * 1994 The Violence Against Women Act tightens federal penalties for sex offenders, funds services for victims of rape and domestic violence, and provides for special training of police officers. ||