Feminism Over Time

Feminism Over Time

1. 1848-1920

   • Seneca Falls Convention
     • "the feminist movement really dates from 1848, when Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Coffin Mott, and others, in a women's convention at Seneca Falls, N.Y., issued a declaration of independence for women, demanding full legal equality, full educational and commercial opportunity, equal compensation, the right to collect wages, and the right to vote" (Fact Monster)
   • 19th Amendment (Right to Vote) Passed

2. 1960s

   • Feminist Activism
     • NOW (National Org. of Women)
     • ERA (Equal Rights Amendment
     • Ms. Magazine
     • Literature
       • Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan
     • Protests
     • "In the 1960s feminism experienced a rebirth, especially in the United States. The National Organization for Women (NOW), formed in 1966, had over 400 local chapters by the early 1970s" (Fact Monster)
     • "federally supported child care centers, equal pay for women, the occupational upgrading of women, the removal of all legal and social barriers to education, political influence, and economic power for women." (Fact Monster)
     • " Nevertheless, the movement begun in the 1960s resulted in a large number of women moving into the workplace (59.8% of civilian women over age 16 were working in 1997, compared to 37.7% in 1960) and in broad changes in society." (Fact Monster)

3. Intro: What is feminism?

   • ""Feminism has effected many changes in Western society, including women's suffrage; broad employment for women at more equitable wages ("equal pay for equal work"); the right to initiate divorce proceedings and the introduction of "no fault" divorce; the right of women in almost all countries to exercise a degree of control over their own ... medical decisions... As Western society has become increasingly accepting of feminist principles, many of these issues, perceived as radical in the 19th century, are now part of mainstream political thought, such as the right of women to vote, own land, and choose their own marital partners, or decide not to marry. Almost no one in Western societies today questions these rights."
   • "Women traditionally had been regarded as inferior to men physically and intellectually." (Fact Monster)
   • Women are equal to men.

4. Today

   • 2009 Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act
     • "President Obama signed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act, which allows victims of pay discrimination to file a complaint with the government against their employer within 180 days of their last paycheck. Previously, victims (most often women) were only allowed 180 days from the date of the first unfair paycheck. This Act is named after a former employee of Goodyear who alleged that she was paid 15–40% less than her male counterparts, which was later found to be accurate." (2009) (InfoPlease)
   • ""Modern feminist thought still focuses on the destruction of societally expected gender norms and behaviors. It still strives for equality and justice of all people in the eyes of the law... " (NPR)