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Oral contraceptive becomes legally available in the United States
On May 9th, 1960, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first oral contraceptive, commonly known as the pill, for sale as birth control in the United States. This pill allowed women to control if and when they have children. Margaret Sanger, one of the founders of Planned Parenthood, organized the production of the pill with funding from Katherine McCormick, a philanthropist and suffragist. -
Congress passes the Equal Pay Act
On June 10, 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed into law the Equal Pay Act, prohibiting sex-based wage discrimination between men and women performing the same job in the same workplace. The EPA amended the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which gave workers the right to a minimum wage and overtime pay for working more than forty hours a week, along with the prohibition of child labor. -
The National Organization for Women (NOW) is founded
On June 30, 1966, Betty Friedan, the author of The Feminine Mystique, founded the National Organization for Women (NOW). Women’s rights activists were frustrated with the failure to enforce new anti-discrimination laws, which led to the creation of this lobbying group for women’s equality. NOW currently states that they use, “grassroots activism to promote feminist ideals, lead societal change, eliminate discrimination, and protect the equal rights of all women and girls.” -
Women’s Strike for Equality
On August 26th, 1970, thousands of women marched down Fifth Avenue in New York City, demanding equal rights, better child care, and the right to an abortion. This was known as the Women’s Strike for Equality. This strike celebrated the 50th anniversary of the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The rally was sponsored by the NOW and marked women's liberation as a national movement. -
Roe v. Wade
On January 22nd, 1973, the US Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in a case brought by Norma McCorvey ("Jane Roe"), who became pregnant with her third child in 1969. McCorvey wanted an abortion but lived in Texas, where abortion was illegal. Her lawyers filed a lawsuit against the local district attorney, Henry Wade, alleging that Texas's abortion laws were unconstitutional. The Supreme Court ruled in McCorvey's favor, determining that the Constitution protects a person's right to have an abortion.