Women's Rights Movement

By astoll

  • "The Feminine Mystique" is Published

    In 1963, Betty Friedan's book, "The Feminine Mystique" was published; the book was massively successful and influential, becoming a staple of the movement. The book became a spark that ignited the Women's Rights movements in the United States by bringing attention to the feelings and troubles of women living domesticated lives and inspiring women to bring about change in their and other women's lives.

  • Title VII

    With the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII was included, a part in the act that would protect women from discrimination alongside African Americans. Although the title was originally suggested by Howard Smith to decrease the chances of the Civil Rights Act being passed, women in congress took the opportunity and the act was passed. Sexual discrimination in the workplace became illegal, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was formed to enforce Title VII.

  • National Organization for Women (NOW) is Formed

    In June, 1966, multiple women, including Betty Friedan, gathered and formed the National Organization for Women; it became a group that heavily advocated for the rights of women. It was met with its fair share of criticism and opposition, but it ended up becoming a big driving force of the movement, constantly pushing for change in the government, constitution, workplace, and other institutions in the United States.

  • Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

    NOW had pushed for the Equal Rights Amendment to be passed because it would make discrimination based on sex unconstitutional. The idea for the Amendment was first brought up in the 1920s, and it was eventually passed by Congress in 1972, but it came short of being ratified as a law. The amendment exposed the division that took place within women's rights groups: minorities and those of lower economic status felt they weren't included and held less power in the movement than rich, white women.

  • Roe v. Wade

    Contraception and abortion laws had always been a sore subject in the United States, and with the great amount of change happening at the time, NOW and many other women took it upon themselves to vouch for change. With the momentum of the Women's Rights Movement came the supreme court hearing of Roe v. Wade in 1973, which resulted in the legalization of abortion. At the time, this was a huge victory for women all across the United States by giving them autonomy over their reproductive health.