Gendered Movements of the 1960's - Essay Example

Gendered Movements of the 1960s Part 1960: “The Pill” approval By Food and Drug Administration 1963: The Feminine Mystique1964: Interpretation of Civil Rights Act’s Title VII (Wolbrecht 152)1968:National Organization for Women (NOW) launching intensive campaign for Equal Rights Amendment (Lind & Stephanie 159).Part 2: Women quest for freedom despite having started early as proved by historical studies, its intensity augmented considerably during the second wave era mainly characterizing the 1960s epoch (Golson & Carlisle 170).

Its inception comprised of agitating for the female gender’s reproduction liberty, which foresaw the approval of oral contraceptives commonly known during then period’ to date as “The Pill” (Golson & Carlisle 161). Hence, availing the long sought confidence to the female gender, which enabled them pursue their intellectual dreams. This is contrary to the past whereby most of them postponed marriages or relationships fearing extra responsibilities that remerged with being sexually active (Golson & Carlisle 170).

Therefore, “The Pill’s” approval gave them liberty meant to plan how they needed their lives. This is especially to those who felt they could adequately handle both education as well as have families, because the latter would not weigh them down, hence prompting women compromise their dreams (Golson & Carlisle 170). Women’s realization that they were capable of reaching high heights in their lives prompted them to embark on guest to have equal elevation in the society, hence the “The Feminine Mystique” emergence (Kranson, Kohn & Diner 237).

This was a publication chronicling numerous predicaments and injustices experienced by the female gender especially in the past that were still evident during the mid 20Th Period despite regimes claiming to believe in gender equality (Kranson, Kohn & Diner 237). Hence, questioning regimes whether motherhood and housework roles were still gratifying goals for the female gender owing to the then prevailing gender based segregation (Golson & Carlisle 159). In her book, Betty Friedan purpose entailed awakening of the female gender besides challenging the then and coming regimes about their perception concerning women’s position (Kranson, Kohn & Diner 230).

The author contended what the women experienced during the mid 20Th period was incomparable and lacked name to expound it, hence her book acted as the “start of all” (Kranson, Kohn & Diner 237). The “Start of all” encompassed instilling the necessary momentum meant for the women to agitate for their privileges and equal their male counterparts. Therefore, this yielded to the enactment of numerous and key gender related acts, for instance, Civil Rights Act Title VII (Wolbrecht 152). The 1964 Civil Rights Act Title VII interpretation and amendment encompassed shunning segregation that was there especially in the employment sector, which was against women (Wolbrecht 152).

Segregation comprised both selective allocations of posts and in some instances low wages to the women (Wolbrecht 152). This enactment despite fueled by numerous cases presented in supreme court by then, it also encountered pressure due to the release of “The Feminine Mystique” (Kranson, Kohn & Diner 237). Similarly, this extended to the NOW’s action whose core goal encompassed pressurizing the enactment of ERA via its numerous campaigns1 (Lind & Stephanie 159). Consequently, granting equality consideration in the employment sector where both genders enjoyed similar privileges devoid of earlier segregation (Lind & Stephanie 159).

Work CitedGolson, Geoffrey, J. & Carlisle, Rodney, P. America in revolt during the 1960s and 1970s. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 2008. Print. Kranson, Rachel., Kohn, Shira, M. & Diner, Hasia, R. A Jewish feminine mystique?: Jewish women in postwar America. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2010. Print. Lind, Amy & Stephanie Brzuzy. Battleground: Women, Gender, and Sexuality. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2008. Print.Pettegrew, John & Keetley, Dawn, Elizabeth.

Public women, public words : a documentary history of American feminism. Vol. III, 1960 to the present. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield publishers, 2002. Print. p. 251. Wolbrecht, Christina. The Politics of Womens Rights: Parties, Positions, and Change. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2009. Print.