23.2 THE FIGHT FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS

WOMEN ORGANIZE• Betty Friedan’s Feminist Mystique (book)

was a rallying cry for women tired of 50s conformity

• Her book, and the 1960 FDA’s approval of “the pill” (birth control) changed many women’s minds about their roles

WOMEN ORGANIZE• Reports showed women were paid far less

than men, even for the same work

• Women assisting in the Civil Rights movement felt that they were discriminated against too

• Esp. after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 did little to help women specifically

• National Organization of Women (NOW) formed in 1966 to deal with that

WOMEN ORGANIZE• Various feminist events were held, including a

protest of the 1968 Miss America Pageant

• “Bra-burning” events captured national attention• Title IX of the Higher Education Act gave equal

status to women/girls, including in public school sports

• Laws in 1972 gave women help in the workplace

ROE V. WADE

• 1973 Supreme Court decision that outlawed states’ bans on abortions

• States can still put restrictions on abortions• Still hotly contested today

EQUAL RIGHTS ACT (ERA)

• Congress passed the ERA in 1972, would specifically add gender equality to the Constitution

• Conservatives, like Phyllis Schlafly, fought against it• 1982 was the deadline for states ratifying the ERA,

and the ERA failed to gain 38 of 50 states