Feminist Movement Of The 1960's And 1970's example essay topic

Prior to the Women's Liberation movement, it was universally recognized that a women's principle role was within the family, with her education and her economic and political rights neglected as a result of common assumptions on her gender. However through the "2nd wave" feminist movement of the 1960's and 1970's, women have gradually achieved social, economic and political freedom. In consequence of this "sexual revolution", social attitudes, gender roles and the basic structure of the family unit, have evolved to accommodate the changing status of women in today's society. At the beginning of the 20th century, women were considered first and foremost as mothers and housewives. Their primary responsibility was to bear children and to maintain the stability of the family unit. Women were perceived as inferior and subordinate to men, therefore there was no need for them to be educated or allowed into the workforce, which in itself further compounded their position, as they did not have the financial means to establish themselves free from the family unit.

These attitudes fostered the stereotypical gender roles of both men and women. According to Poole "it was assumed that a woman was always economically dependent on a man-either father or husband-and that the proper role of the man was to be the provider or breadwinner" (1986, p. 29). The status of women changed somewhat with the onset of both world wars. Shortages of manpower meant that women were required to enter the workforce. Women became actively involved in industries were traditionally male-dominated and proved themselves just as capable as men.

Although women were accepted into the workforce, the traditional role of the female was still firmly in embedded in the social attitudes of that period. .".. Women had been welcomed as essential workers in factories, as nurses and in many jobs previously considered men-only... however discrimination still occurred... it was very common for women to be asked to leave their jobs when they married. It was believed that a married woman's place was in the home". (O'Connor.

1997, p. 33) Consequently post-war women were payed lower wages as it was still perceived as the man's 'job' to provide for the family. Most women worked in low-grade clerical and service jobs and the majority of women were not encouraged by educational institutions to continue their studies. Despite this women, who had grown to become a considerable portion of the labour market during the 1950's and 1960's, came to realise that they were as valuable as men. This sudden awakening of feminism was not only resultant from the contributions of women in the employment sector but was also, in part, due to the fact that in America, during the 1960's, higher education had expanded, incorporating women in colleges and universities around the nation, which allowed them to question their role in society and examine the concept of motherhood and marriage.

The 1970's marked fundamental shifts gender relations, with the emergence of "2nd wave" feminism, commonly referred to as the women's liberation movement. During this period, women of the developed nations demanded equal pay, equality under the law and challenged the patriarchal bias in society. Many controversial books were published, which lobbied for women's rights to economic equality and reproductive freedom and confronted the traditional role of women and men, concerning gender roles in society and the family. One of the definitive works of this era was Germaine Greer's "The Female Eunuch" (1970), which helped mobilize the women's movement and examined the different forms of women's oppression in literature, relationships, popular culture, employment and sexual expression. Betty Friedan, another prominent feminist, encouraged women to take a more radical role in their fight for equality, "women are 2nd class citizens... who need to find more fulfilling lives through work and education" (Spearman, 1999. p. 34). In Australia, many social, political and economic reforms were achieved due to the influence of the women's movement.

Economic freedom was the 1st area, which feminists focussed on. In 1972 the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission awarded women a 'male' rate of pay for their work. Feminists also lobbied for the institution of child-care facilities by the government, which was granted by the Labor governments in 1975. The Labor party also introduced improvements in women's employment due to increasing pressure from feminist groups who appealed for access to promotional positions and the right to work in traditional 'male jobs'. As a result, the Office of Equal Opportunity was established in 1978.

Through the achievements of the women's movement, social attitudes have changed to adapt to the more involved role of women. As women, through participation in the workforce, became more financially independent, the economic motivation to become married decreased. Women in today's society are now choosing to delay becoming apart of a marriage in favour of their career and further education. There are also a growing number of couples that are cohabiting or forming consensual unions in apposed to becoming married. Where once being unmarried was a great social stigma, it now is of far less importance. The development and availability of the "pill" since the mid-1970's, has also had a great impact upon the social attitudes concerning women.

The ability to control their fertility has "opened new opportunities for women to plan their lives" (O'Connell, 1994, p. 9) The structure of the family also reflects that changed status of women. The traditional family unit or the 'nuclear family' consists of 2 parents and children, where the man is seen as the breadwinner and the women is a full-time mother and housewife. However it is becoming evident that in a more egalitarian society, the nuclear family although still in the majority, is no longer the rule. This is illustrated in the changing legal definition of what a family is.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics defines a family as "two or more persons living in the same household and who are related by blood, marriage or adoption". In 1975 however, the Bureau defined the family as consisting "of one or two parents and at least one child" (Poole, 1986, p. 30) New forms of family have been brought about by the liberation of women. In Australia, there has been a rise in single parent families due increasing divorce rates since the establishment of the Family Law Act of 1975, (which made obtaining a divorce easier) and more liberalised views concerning the institution of marriage. Through divorce the formation of 'blended' families (where people have been married before) is also a recent phenomenon, which has a dramatic impact o the common perception of what a family is. Childless couples are also becoming popular through the availability of contraception and the freedom women now have concerning their fertility. The 1970's women's movement produced great changes for women in employment opportunities, equal pay, and access to contraceptives, abortion and childcare.

The repercussions of this era can be seen in the changing attitudes of today society, the most comprehensive reflection being the changing structure of the family unit. More options became available to women, and while motherhood is still seen as an important role for women it is not the most important or the only one in a woman's life..