The Role Of Feminism In The 1960s And 1970s

During, the 1960s and 70s American Feminist Movement, women had begun to protest for the same human rights as men. The main areas of protest in The United States of America were Boston, Los Angeles, and New York City. There were many ways to protest, including writing, art, and organizations. There were many writers who wrote about feminism during this time, some include Betty Friedan, Robin Morgan, and Kate Millett. Art also encouraged feminism, specifically the paintings by Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro. There were many feminist groups that protested for equal rights, some of which were The National Black Feminist Organization, The National Organization For Women, Bread and Roses, and The Chicago Women's Liberation Union. In the 1960s and 70s,

During the 1960s women were confined to one lifestyle, they were not acceptable in the public eye and were limited in their family lifestyle as well as the workplace. Women were expected to marry the traditional young marriage and then devote their time to raise the family and take care of their husband. Due to restriction women became activist and voiced their opinion to become equal in the workplace.

Similarly, Patricia Hill’s work “Black Feminist Thought” explains the need for black feminism. For Hill U.S. black feminism is needed in order for black women to survive, cope with, and resist their differential treatment in society. Black feminist thought creates a collective identity among this marginalized group of African-American women. Hill provides several features that make U.S. Black feminist thought different than any other set of feminism. The first feature Hill speaks about is ‘blackness’ it is this concept that makes U.S. black feminist a different group that suffers a “double oppression”. Thus, U.S. Black women collectively participate in a dialectical relationship which links African American women’s oppression and activism. Hill speaks on the U.S. black feminist thought and the dilemma they face in American society. During the women’s right movement there was a tremendous difference between black and white women’s experiences, “while women of color were urged, at every turn, to become permanently infertile, white women enjoying prosperous economic conditions were urged, by the same forces, to reproduce themselves”. It is this difference in attitudes that demonstrate why there is a need to focuses on the linkage of experiences and ideas experienced by the black women in America. Consequently, Davis analyzes the hypocritical differences of the government of the

Early feminism was typically focused only on white women, likely because racism was still extremely prominent at the time feminism began emerging. It was not until Kimberlé Crenshaw introduced the term “intersectionality” in 1989 that feminism started to look at oppressed group’s needs (Nash, 2008, 2). Intersectionality is a way of thinking that acknowledges that when a person has identities that belong to more than one oppressed group, it impacts their quality of life more negatively. In this paper, I will argue that intersectionality is important in the discussion of feminist theories and activism because it ensures that feminism is for all women, not just a select group of them. Intersectionality has changed the way the feminist movement handles the overlapping of different identities, which has helped feminist theorists understand the experiences of women of colour much more clearly. While intersectionality has a very important role in the conversation and practice of feminism, there are certainly critiques of the concept that should be brought up. These critiques, however, can offer a way to improve the study of intersectionality.

Lingering inequalities and other social trends from previous decades brought forth the modern feminist movement in the 1960s. These feminists campaigned for gender equality with causes such as equal pay for equal work, abortion rights, and social parity. In 1963, author Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique, which contained reports from a study conducted on female college graduates during the 1950s and early 1960s, which uncovered that most women labelled themselves exclusively as mothers and housewives, and were unsatisfied with the roles forced upon them. Friedan argued fervently that women needed to discover their own identities outside the roles of a wife and mother. Many believe that the arguments made in The Feminine Mystique marked the start of the modern feminist movement (Loveday, 1)

Feminism is about empowering women and achieving equality in all aspects. There have been several waves of feminism throughout American history. These periods of time are now referred to as waves because a majority of women could be seen protesting and fighting for specific rights over consecutive years. The First Wave of feminism laid the groundwork for all the rights women have today. During this time period, women changed how they could dress and also fought for their right to vote in general elections. Before the First Wave, women were treated as property and had to obey their husbands or other male leaders of their families. Consequently, women grew tired of not having a voice or a say about their own lives. Much of what the women in

The feminist movement of the 1960’s focused solely on the improvement and well- being of women. The idea of Feminism is a critical theory as it is an analytical examination of social conditions and what tools could be utilized to proactively improve these conditions. Overcoming the consistent barriers women had to endure during this era remains prevalent and continues to have psychological effects. In order to strengthen one’s mindset regarding feminism, we must first refer back and understand the intellectual history of the women’s movement and examine areas of how counseling can assist with overcoming these impediments. The Feminist philosophy is the philosophical dimension of intellectual feminism. Many philosophers understand their intellectual history and the history of the women's movement in terms of three "waves."

For the sake of analysis and a broader understanding of historical context, it is important to acknowledge that the emergence of Black Feminist ideology was not solely in response to the disregard of the needs of African American women in mainstream feminism, but in the ongoing civil rights and black liberation movements, as well. These movements primarily focused on the oppression practiced towards black men and were known for demonstrating sexism towards the women involved despite the crucial role that they were playing. Black women were often forced to stay in the background as unsung heroines while their male counterparts were recognized as leaders. Therefore, the origins of Black Feminism can be tied to the misogynist tendencies

Second-wave feminism of the 1960s was successful in obtaining many rights that were otherwise denied to women. However, Scholar Benita Roth asserts that the movement resonated primarily with middle-class white feminists as it focused on issues that were only relevant to their lives (76). By failing to acknowledge class and racial differences, white feminists undermined their white privilege which then gave rise to the third wave, facilitated by women of colour. In the twenty-first century, various initiatives have been taken by feminist organizations such as the National Organization for Women to create a more inclusive environment for black women through an intersectional approach, defined as the recognition of interlocking oppressions (Roth

In an attempt to define Black Feminism, Collins clarifies that it must “avoid the idealist position that ideas can be evaluated in isolation from the groups that create them (Collins 385).” This clarification forms her basis for why Black Feminism is necessary, and who it serves. Thinking about feminism historically, the concerns of black women were pushed aside in favor of fighting sexism; a notable example occurs within the Suffrage movement, where votes for white women were prioritized over women of color in order to push such legislation through. And even when feminism began looking at other social injustices, such as racism and class issues, often only prominent feminists were invited to the discussion. What resulted was, and often continues to be, a problem of white women speaking for oppressed people. It’s impossible, Collins argues, to have Black Feminist thought without examining the experiences and positions of African American women. Therefore, Black Feminism must be a movement that “encompasses theoretical interpretations of Black women’s reality by those who live in it (Collins 386).” However, such a definition brings about many questions:

In an attempt to define Black Feminism, Collins clarifies that it must “avoid the idealist position that ideas can be evaluated in isolation from the groups that create them (Collins 385).” In reality, this forms her basis for why Black Feminism is necessary, and who it serves. Thinking about feminism historically, the concerns of black women were pushed aside in favor of fighting sexism, most notably during the Suffrage movement. And even when feminism began looking at other social injustices, such as racism and class issues, only prominent feminists were invited to the discussion. What resulted was, and often continues to be, a problem of white women speaking for oppressed people. It’s impossible, Collins argues, to have Black Feminist thought without examining the experiences and positions of African American women. Therefore, Black Feminism must be a movement that “encompasses theoretical interpretations of Black women’s reality by those who live in it (Collins 386).” However, such a definition brings about many questions: who’s experiences are valued, how do black women take their voice back, and how can they center feminist thinking on their own unique standpoint?

Social issues happen across the world, they leave lasting impressions on the world. Social movements are organizational structures and strategies that have a goal at the end that the organization or person wants to meet, They can be large, sometimes formal and informal but they all focus on specific political or social issues. They can be see all throughout time such as, the Women Rights Movement in the 1970s. A lot of women gathered up and began to fight for their rights until they got them. Now we are able to see similar movements being pushed here in 2017, the Black Lives Matter movement they are fighting for their rights and their movement is being heard. Throughout America there will always be new social movements that are happening causing change to the country.

During the late 1960s and through the 70s, The Women's Liberation Movement was at their most prominent.

Those restrictions on women to stay at home and focus on their families led to a larger feminist movement in the 1960s. Tired of the sex discrimination, the National Organization of Women (NOW) was formed. This company attacked the false image of women being only dedicated to marriage and motherhood. NOW grew out of middle-class feminism, but women wanted a more radical approach to their movement in women liberation. This comes the first approach of change. Radical feminists first campaigned for the “repeal of state laws that underscored women’s lack of self-determination by banning abortions or leaving it up to the decision of the physician” (Foner, Edition 4, Page 1007). Women should be able to do whatever they want with their body because

The feminist’s movement in the 1970’s not only broke down barriers for women’s rights in salary inequity and anti-discrimination laws, it opened the door for dialogues on women as artist and feminist art education. I have written a reading response to Renee Sandell’s original 1979 article, Feminist Art Education: An Analysis of the Women Art’s Movement As an Educational Force and its introduction by Sandra Packard, in the current collection from Looking Back: Editor’s Selection from 50 Years of Studies in Art Education. In my analysis of both readings I will describe how women’s art movement became important to art education and to women as artist. In addition, I will identify both writers’ theoretical focus and the foundation their theory