The History of the Woman's Liberation Movement - Essay Example

The History of the Womans Liberation Movement Following the women’s suffrage movement which succeeded in gaining voting rights for women, the feminist, or ‘women’s liberation’ movement slowed dramatically until the early 1960’s. When the daughters and granddaughters of the courageous and outspoken women who worked so diligently for suffrage movement reached maturity, the role of the woman was still very subservient to men. Society expected them to ‘keep the home.’ They were generally vilified and viewed as selfish if their ambitions did not include caring for children, cooking meals, cleaning and bowing to the wishes of their husbands. The concept of feminism was one of ridicule and scorn as well as being against the tenets of Christianity. The efforts of many women such as Betty Friedan, Ruth Rosen and Gloria Steinum during the 1960’ revived the women’s movement and laid the groundwork for changes in both the law and public perception of feminism for all time. Though cast under one umbrella term, the women’s liberation movement consisted of two groups of women, essentially divided by age and two differing viewpoints on feminist thought, liberal and radical. The noteworthy accomplishment for the ‘modern’ women’s liberation movement of the 1960’s was attaching a label to very private concerns such as sexual harassment, date rape, workplace discrimination and domestic violence and forcing these issues into a public debate thereby initiating changes in laws and social attitudes. The first of these changes came in 1961 when President John F. Kennedy established the Commission on the Status of Women. Outspoken feminist Betty Friedan was named to this commission and in 1966 formed the National Organization for Women (NOW) which became the first new feminist association in nearly half a century. NOW was he first but not the only beginnings of the organized manifestation of the women’s movement. “The (women’s) movement actually has two origins, from two different strata’s of society, with two different styles, orientations, values, and forms of organization” (Freeman, 1971) These groups were considered separate in motive and structure throughout the 1960’s then in 1970, these multiple groups assigned by two uncommon origins and composition merged in the minds of many under the common phraseology of the women’s lib movement. The first group which consisted of NOW, the Federally Employed Women, the Professional Women’s Caucus and the self-described ‘right-wing’ of the women’s movement, the Women’s Equity Action League were made up of an older demographic than the other groups which emerged during the mid-to-late 1960’s. The ‘older’ groups were made up of working women and those of a similar age sympathetic to their cause. The younger groups emanated from the civil rights movement and consisted of mainly college-aged women. The ‘younger generation’ of women’s equality groups witnessed the efforts and words of the ‘older generation’ such as Betty Friedan, author of the wildly popular book, The Feminine Mystique, who said “A woman has got to be able to say, and not feel guilty, ‘Who am I, and what do I want out of life’? She mustn’t feel selfish and neurotic if she wants goals of her own, outside of husband and children” (“Betty Friedan” 2007) Feminism has and continues to be an energetic and shifting concept, changing and reinventing along with the attitudes of society. This is especially the case for the two opposing ends of the feminist spectrum, liberal and radical feminist thought. Additionally, defining clear definitions of feminism is difficult because most women who describe themselves as feminists and identify with a prescribed ideology also borrow concepts from other forms of feminism. Feminists are hardly of one mind, they generally think for themselves. While some may accept the majority of a particular feminist doctrine or theory they reject some of its principles outright. Whatever the case, feminism promotes equality, a home and workplace where women have an equal portion of control and rights. Feminism is best described as a structured movement that endorses the idea of equality for women and minorities in the economic, social and political arenas. No one would question that women have historically been subjugated to second-class citizen status and oppressive tactics simply due to their gender in the dominant patriarchal society. Feminists believe this subjugation continues today even after the gains made by the feminist movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s. The outcome of eradicating the concept of a patriarchy can only result in the liberation of women, gays, minorities and men as well. “Patriarchy is the system which oppresses women through its social, economic and political institutions. Throughout history men have had greater power in both the public and private spheres. To maintain this power, men have created boundaries and obstacles for women, thus making it harder for women to hold power” (Kramarae et al, 1985). Women, minorities and gays are oppressed and do not enjoy equal opportunities in a patriarchal society as evidenced throughout history. Feminist ideology encompasses many diverse ideas, all evolving over the past four decades. During the 1960’s, women began developing theories to help express the oppression they endured and the modern-day feminist movement was born. Through the 1970’s, defiant segments that embraced this growing ideology began coordinating and mobilizing their efforts to challenge the status quo patriarchy. However, in the 1980’s, feminists began to disagree on specific concerns related to feminist thought. What had been one general theory began branching out into several theories focusing on varied issues involving feminism. “Today, there are as many definitions of feminism as there are feminists. Each definition of feminism depends on a number of factors including one’s own beliefs, history and culture” (Kramarae et al, 1985). Radical feminism advances the basic concepts for much of what is commonly identified as feminism. This ideology typically conflicts with liberal feminist principles because radical feminism believes that the complete dissolution of a patriarchal society is necessary to achieve true equality and the situation cannot be resolved by legislative efforts alone. The radical segment of any movement attracts the most attention from the media and feminism is no exception which unfortunately creates misunderstandings of the entire movement as a whole leading to a hostile response towards feminist issues from the general public. No one was and continues to be identified more with the radical feminist ideology that Gloria Steinum who argued that the subjugation of women within the patriarchal social structure was no different than the suppression of other groups of people. Steinum defends the term she was instrumental in branding by stating “radical feminist is only a way of indicating that I believe the sexual caste system is a root of race and class and other divisions” (Schnall, 1995) According to radical feminist ideology, the subjugation of women is not only the oldest form of oppression but is also the worst type of tyranny. This is because patriarchal societies have dominated the world since the beginning of civilisation oppressing women regardless of class, culture or race. Radical feminism advocates freeing not only women but men as well from the inflexible gender roles imposed by society. Because the widespread and long-standing gender-based societal system has fostered overt oppression against women, the objective of the radical feminists has been to dismantle this arrangement by any means at their disposal. “Sometimes radical feminists believe that they must wage a war against men, patriarchy, and the gender system which confines them to rigid social roles. They completely reject these roles, all aspects of patriarchy, and in some cases, they reject men as well” (Daly, 1990). Radical feminists continually underscore the differences between men and women and frequently form organisations which prohibit men entirely where they speak of the experiences of women, their relationships and personal feelings. Radical feminists blame the fundamental societal arrangement that has encouraged the oppression of women enabling this discrepancy of justice to be deemed as the ‘norm’ in most cultures. Simply stated, radical feminism is philosophy centered on women. It aspires to “tear down the legitimised and institutionalized domination of men over women and replace it with systems of mutuality, cooperation, and sharing” (Storkey, 1985). Because much of society including the media has generally pigeonholed radical feminists as men-hating lesbians who have been jaded by bad relationships, the constructive efforts of this group has often been unknown. Radical feminism, through protests and other high-profile activities have accomplished much towards their goal of furthering the rights of women. These political actions by the radicals have appropriately linked them to liberalist thought. “The consciousness raising efforts of liberalism have laid the groundwork for the major changes sought by radicals” (Storkey, 1985). Though the ideology of radical feminists differs from liberal feminists, radicals owe much of their successes to the liberals. Though the status of women has improved over the past 40 years through their efforts, radical feminists submit that rampant and overt discriminatory practices and blatant sexism exist still today and that equal rights legislation and protest are insufficient methods by which to end oppression. Radical feminists themselves are not of one mind, however, and have split into distinctly separate groups. Liberal feminism is the type most identified with the civil rights movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s. The focal point of their viewpoint is that all people, including men, are entitled to equal rights and considerations. The goal of realising equal rights and opportunities are shared by both radical and liberal feminists; however, the methods are dissimilar. Radical feminists advocate social changes while liberal feminists look more to individual rights. Women of all political affiliations and feminist points of view rightly believe their gender has throughout history and still today been the victim of both overt and subtle manners of male repression. According to activist Ruth Rosen, the conservatives are seeking to reverse the gains made by the women’s movement and move American society back toward the patriarchal system. “The truth is we’re living with the legacy of an unfinished gender revolution. Real equality for women, who increasingly work outside the home, requires that liberals place the care crisis at the core of their agenda and take back ‘family values’ from the right” (Ruth Rosen, 2007) Though all feminists subscribe to this rather obvious reality, the various groups disagree to the best method of combating this social discrepancy. The act of prostitution illustrates this division of feminist philosophy. Radical feminists view prostitution as a social ill that only exacerbates the historical oppression of women while liberal feminists generally view prostitutes as simply self-employed women. Radicals believe that prostitution should be eliminated (in theory) but liberals do not, they think that women should be free to pursue whatever career choice they want without governmental intervention. “Radical feminism tends to be mechanical in their analysis of prostitution, separating the moral and spiritual forces of relationships from the temporal forces (and) in doing so they present an incomplete view of relationships between men and women, as well as the intricate relationships between prostitutes and their client” (Bromberg, 1997). Though liberal feminism is associated with the genesis of the modern women’s movement, today women who identify with liberal feminism seldom describes themselves as a feminist though they support equality legislation such as in the employment arena. Liberal feminists do not identify themselves as extremists and trust that the women’s issues that remain unresolved will ultimately be achieved by critical reasoning by a gradually enlightened society which will evolve its views through lobbying efforts. Those who critisise the liberal feminist philosophy suggest that its assumptions of individual rights blind it to underlying social values, both creating and derived from the long-standing societal arrangement, which, unless altered at its core, will continue work to oppress women. According to radicals, until women are entirely independent from men, the patriarchal system will confine them to a life of perpetual subservience to a dominator. “Critics [of liberal feminist thought] believe that institutional changes like the introduction of women’s suffrage are insufficient to emancipate women. In its investment in a social hierarchy that allows nominal equality on the basis of merit and effort” (Bryson & Campling, 1999). The answers to the human rights debate as engaged by liberal and radical feminists contain few absolutes. Both contend the opposing view subverts the common goal of gender equality. Radicals believe the profession of prostitution is counterintuitive to the idea of equality for women while liberals think it to further empowers women, that freedom of career choice is essential in the struggle for true emancipation from what remains a patriarchal society to some extent. Fundamentally, the women’s movement which was fueled by feminist thought from its infancy a century ago to the modern movement of the 60s and still today, has successfully addressed equality and human rights for women. It has been instrumental in legislation that has protected these rights. “The women’s movement raises awareness of issues that directly affect women and indirectly affect our culture” (McPhee, 1997: A23). Among the accomplishments of feminism include the advancement of equal opportunities in the workplace, government sponsored child care, legal, thus safe, abortions, tougher domestic violence and rape laws and the progression of gay rights as well. Though liberal and radical feminists often disagree, this division is typical for any group. “All movements are fraught with extremism, infighting, and power struggles” (McPhee, 1997: A23). The Women’s Liberation Movement emanated from two differing sources and promotes two widely different points of view. Feminist issues are multifaceted therefore the approaches to remedying the historical imbalance of equality are often contentious and inadequate. Feminists do not agree on solutions and not all needs of women have been met because individual circumstances are multifaceted as well. Women and their ever changing lives cannot be placed in specified categories nor can the answers to their specific needs be found in theories. What all feminists or those sympathetic to their cause should recognise is that the overall goal of leveling the playing field for all is a constant effort and the core goals remain the same. This was the goal of the women’s suffrage movement which essentially died in the 1920’s but was revived in the 1960’s and lives on today. References “Betty Friedan.” (2007). Women’s Political Communication Archive Iowa State University Retrieved December 14, 2007 from Bromberg, Sarah. (1997). “Feminist Issues in Prostitution.” Feminist Issues. Retrieved December 14, 2007 from Bryson, Valerie & Campling, Jo. (September 1999). Feminist Debates: Issues of Theory and Political Practise. New York: New York University Press: 14-15. Daly, Mary. (November 1990). Gyn/Ecology: The Metaethics of Radical Feminism. Boston: Beacon Press. Kramarae, Cheris and Treichler, Paula A., with assistance from Ann Russo. (1985). A Feminist Dictionary. London, Boston: Pandora Press. McPhee, John. (March 4,1997). “A Feminist Redefined.” The New York Times. p. A23. Rosen, Ruth. (February 22, 2007). “The Care Crisis” The Nation Magazine Retrieved December 13, 2007 from Schnall, Marianne. (April 3, 1995). “Interview with Gloria Steinem” Feminist.com Retrieved December 14, 2007 from Storkey, Elaine. (1985). What’s Right with Feminism. Grand Rapids, MI: SPCK (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge); Rev Ed edition (1 Aug 2006). Read More