Women's Liberation and Sixties Radicalism - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... The essay "Women's Liberation and Sixties Radicalism" presents the analysis of the paper "Nothing Distant About It: Women's liberation and Sixties Radicalism" written by Alice Echols which revolves around the liberation of women in the 1960s and the reasons behind it. It begins with the boycott on the Miss America Pageant and the different ways used by the female demonstrators to interrupt the on-goings of the show. It then speaks of the adversity that met these women as they continue to show their aggravated sentiment. Not only are they taunted and jeered at by men but their popularity is also compared to the “anti-war” movement. The latter bit of the essay goes on to talk about the cultivating factors behind the movement. This included the women’s taste of social and economic freedom. The new labor force shifted the need from labor to services, which could be easily accommodated by the new college-educated females. Also, the financial needs of the house had increased with the introduction of technology and one earner could no longer fulfill the needs of the entire family. Echols then gives the main reason behind the success of the feminist movement: the presence of other oppositional movements. Along with this was the women’s ability to incorporate Marxist and other ideologies to better understand their own oppression. A brief tussle with NOW (National Organization for Women) over the introduction of personal life into the public sphere separated the feminists from the liberationists of NOW. ...Download file to see next pagesRead More