After CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENTSS, the us social movement of the 1960s and 70s - Article Example

Makers: Women Who Make America is a documentary about the progression of the Feminist Movement in America which started in the 1960s as a reaction tothe lack of opportunities for women. Produced by Kunhardt McGee together with Storyville Films and WETA, the three-part film follows the most important events and people throughout the decades that made up the Movement and has defined it to what it has become today. The documentary featured women who made a difference through courage and their contribution to the shift in perception about bringing equality between men and women.

The focus gears toward the point that it was through a series of historical incidents and the aggressiveness for change that women’s rights had been recognized and that choices, which had not been available before, is now a part and parcel of a woman’s everyday life in America. The narrative highlighted the typical woman of the 1950s whose duty as a homemaker offers no other viable option except child rearing. The women of that era had the singular choice of getting married and then staying at home to care for her husband and their children.

As the man sets out to provide for the family, the wife stays at home and tends to the domestic needs of the family. The book, The Feminine Mystique, by Betty Friedan enlightened on the shared emptiness and dissatisfaction that housewives share because of a lack of endeavors. This ignites the kindled spirits of the 1960s which formed the Women’s Liberation and the very foundation of radical feminism (“Makers: Women Who Make America Part I Awakening”). These notions were further challenged by brave women who had the courage to question societal norms and the view of women as second-class citizens to the 1970s when job options remained limited.

In the tennis match dubbed The Battle of the Sexes, between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, the former shattered Riggs’ hubris as a woman beats him in the highly publicized game. As King said herself, “That night it wasn’t about tennis. It was about history. It was about social change” (“Makers: Women Who Make America Part II Changing the World”). Similarly, women’s newfound power were shown through the focus on contraceptives, specifically pills, where the power to decide is now lodged with the woman.

This is also supported by the Supreme Court Decision in Roe vs. Wade where a decision for abortion within the first trimester of the pregnancy is left to the discretion of the woman and her physician. The interviews of women who were part of the movement as well as actual video clips and photographs of those that transpired made for a powerful image and gave a sense of how powerful that time in history is. The final minutes took a low note with some of the now aging feminists who took part decades ago are now concerned with the lack of clamor in the new generation.

Nonetheless, it showed that there may have been faults and that there is a long way to go before true and unqualified changes are implemented but the triumphs of the Feminist Movement fundamentally made choices now available for women. The fact remains that sexual equality has changed dramatically because of their unwavering passion. This is a good documentary that people must watch because it enlightens on a topic that is close to everyone and yields an understanding of what breaking barriers mean.

As Gloria Steinem puts it, “Now the majority of people in this country know that if there is inequality it is wrong, it is unjust” (“Makers: Women Who Make America Part III Charting a New Course”).Works CitedKunhardt McGee Productions. “Makers: Women Who Make America Part I Awakening.” Kristin Casas. YouTube, 5 Mar. 2013. Web. 5 Aug. 2014. ---. “Makers: Women Who Make America Part II Changing The World.” Kristin Casas. YouTube, 5 Mar. 2013. Web. 5 Aug. 2014.---. “Makers: Women Who Make America Part III Charting a New Course.

” Kristin Casas. YouTube, 5 Mar. 2013. Web. 5 Aug. 2014.