University History Essay: Feminism in the US Since 1940s (Second Wave)

This essay examines the Second Wave Feminism in the United States, starting from the 1940s. It highlights pivotal historical events, such as Rosa Parks' actions, the FDA's approval of birth control, the Equal Pay Act of 1963, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The essay discusses the founding of the National Organization for Women by Betty Friedan and the radical expressions of the movement, including the "bra burning" protests. It explores the ideological divergence into equal rights feminism and radical feminism, and their respective goals. Finally, the essay assesses the impact of the Second Wave Feminism on American society, including increased female participation in the workforce and heightened awareness of gender roles, while referencing relevant literature and scholarly sources.

Running Head: FEMINISM IN THE UNITED STATES SINCE 1940’S (SECOND WAVE)
Feminism in the United States since 1940’s (Second Wave)
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FEMINISM IN THE UNITED STATES SINCE 1940’S (SECOND WAVE)
Historical circumstances around the development of the Second Wave Feminism
Rosa Parks, a black seamstress marked the beginning of the various events which
marked the beginning of the fight for Civil Rights and Equal Pay. On 1st December, 1955,
Parks refused to let go of her seat to a white man while she was on a bus in Montgomery,
Ala. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on 9th May, 1960 released birth control for
women worldwide commercially (history.com). This allowed the women with the choice and
control over childbirth. President John F. Kennedy signed the law of Equal Pay Act on 10th
June, 1963 which marked an end to discrimination between the sexes while receiving wages
in workplaces (history.com). On 2nd July, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil
Rights Act which turned it into a law where the Title VII prohibited discrimination in
employment opportunities that are based on race, religion, national origin, or sex
(history.com). The author of the path breaking work The Feminine Mystique (1963) Betty
Friedan founded the National Organization for Women which is meant to be promoting
“grassroots activism… feminist ideals, lead societal change, eliminate discrimination, and
achieve and protect the equal rights to all women and girls in all aspects of social, political,
and economic life.” (history.com).
Hence, it is quite evident the series of events created an atmosphere of protests and
unrest as activists took to the streets in order to claim their rights and seek for the new
positions in the society. The latter half of the 1960’s were marked by a more radical
approach to the oppression of women especially the staged event hosted by New York
Radical Women in September 1968 (Molony and Jennifer). This event saw some of the most
symbolic expression of rejection of oppression in the form of tossing away instruments
namely high heels, curlers, girdles, and bras that went to “freedom trash can” (Molony and
Jennifer). In such attempts, the protest also came to be known as “bra burning”. Kate Millet
wrote Sexual Politics in 1969 which focused on the patriarchy and its control over sex, and its

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FEMINISM IN THE UNITED STATES SINCE 1940’S (SECOND WAVE)
expression, and ultimately politics (Molony and Jennifer). Sexual politics also talks about the
political discourse which contains the history of how men began their domination with sex
and gender and it later extended to racial and class discrimination and oppression.
Effect on the Second Wave Feminism on the American society
The effect of the Second Wave Feminism was somewhat mixed since the movement
diverged into two separate ideological movement- Equal rights feminism and Radical
Feminism (Shorrocks). The goal of Equal rights Feminism was to establish equality in both
political and social spheres which also extended to laws of legalizing abortion and bringing
women in the mainstream of workforce.
Radical feminism on the other hand, wanted a drastic and radical change in the
inherent patriarchal structure of society and claimed that such changes would only help
women to escape the oppression (Shorrocks). The white, and elderly women from the
privileged class were the majority who considered themselves to be radical feminists.
The Second Wave Feminism managed to create a huge transition in the society not
just in the United States, but in most of the Western countries. Some of the changes include-
participation of women in labour force, high level of awareness regarding the roles of gender
in the society (Shorrocks). The literatures published during this era were mostly aimed at
revealing the traditional gender roles. Although there was a bifurcation of the Second Wave
Feminism, they made huge contributions to the society in general (Shorrocks).

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Work Cited
history.com. "Women’S History Milestones: A Timeline". History.Com, 2020,
https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/womens-history-us-timeline.
Molony, Barbara, and Jennifer Nelson, eds. Women’s Activism and" Second Wave"
Feminism: Transnational Histories. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2017.
Shorrocks, Rosalind. "A feminist generation? Cohort change in gender-role attitudes and the
second-wave feminist movement." International Journal of Public Opinion Research 30.1
(2018): 125-145.