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The Second-Wave Feminist Movement in the United States

A period of feminist activity that began in the early 1960s and continued through the late 1980s. It built on the foundations of the first-wave movement, expanding the focus beyond suffrage to a broader range of issues.

Key Issues and Goals

  • Reproductive Rights: Access to contraception and abortion, challenging legal restrictions on reproductive autonomy.
  • Equal Pay and Employment Opportunities: Combating wage discrimination and barriers to women's advancement in the workplace.
  • Legal Equality: Advocating for equal rights under the law, including amendments to constitutions and legislation addressing sex discrimination.
  • Challenging Gender Roles and Stereotypes: Questioning traditional notions of femininity and masculinity, and promoting more equitable representations of women in media and culture.
  • Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault: Recognizing and addressing violence against women as a widespread social problem, and advocating for support services for survivors.

Prominent Figures and Organizations

  • Betty Friedan: Author of The Feminine Mystique and a founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW).
  • Gloria Steinem: Journalist, activist, and a leading voice in the movement, co-founder of Ms. magazine.
  • Shirley Chisholm: The first African American woman elected to Congress and a presidential candidate.
  • National Organization for Women (NOW): A major feminist organization advocating for women's rights through political action and legal challenges.
  • National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC): An organization dedicated to increasing the number of women in elected and appointed office.

Significant Achievements and Impacts

  • Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972: Prohibited sex discrimination in education programs receiving federal funding.
  • Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): Increased enforcement of laws against sex discrimination in the workplace.
  • Increased Awareness and Dialogue: Brought issues of gender inequality to the forefront of public discourse.
  • Expanded Opportunities for Women: Opened doors for women in education, employment, and political participation.

The Rise of the "New Right" and the Stop ERA Movement

A conservative backlash against the feminist movement, particularly regarding the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The "New Right" argued that the ERA would undermine traditional family values and harm women.

Key Arguments Against the ERA

  • Threat to Traditional Family Roles: Opponents claimed it would disrupt the traditional roles of men and women.
  • Military Draft: Fear that women would be drafted into military service.
  • Loss of Legal Protections: Concerns that women would lose existing protections under the law, such as alimony and custody rights.

Prominent Opponents of the ERA

  • Phyllis Schlafly: A conservative activist who led the Stop ERA movement.