Chapter 31 Section 2 Guided Reading

A) How did each of the following create or advance the women's rights movement?

1) Experiences in the workplace: Between 1950 and 1960, the number of women working for wages increased by 40%, but they were paid far less, and this was mostly ignored. President Kennedy appointed the presidential Commission on the Status of Women , which reported that women were paid far less than men on the same jobs, they were rarely appointed to managerial positions, regardless of education, experience, and ability. This showed women just how unequal they were to men in society.

2) Experiences in social activism: In many anti-war and civil rights groups, men were in charge of the activities, and women were given smaller roles, and were ignored by men when they protested this.

3) "Consciousness raising": Women got together to discuss their concerns such as the one mentioned in the above question. They talked about their lives together and discovered that many women had the same problems such as issues with sexism and gender discrimination.

4) Feminism: The belief that women should be economically, socially, and politically equal to men. It became popular in the 1960s.

5) Betty Friedan and The Feminine Mystique: A book that captured many of the reasons that women were dissatisfied with their lives, and helped to make women motivated to work together to improve their situation.

6) Civil Rights Act of 1964: Prohibited discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, and gender. Created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to handle discrimination claims.

7) National Organization for Women (NOW): Pushed for the creation of child-care facilities that would allow mothers to get jobs and education, pressured the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to more thoroughly enforce the ban on gender discrimination when hiring. Caused the EEOC to declare sex-segregation job ads illegal and made it so that employers could not refuse to hire women for traditionally male jobs.

8) Gloria Steinem and Ms. magazine: Helped to found the National Women's Political Caucus. Created the magazine Ms. which treated contemporary issues from the feminist perspective.

9) Congress: Passed a ban on gender discrimination in any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. This resulted in several all-male colleges becoming open to women. Congress also expanded the powers of the EEOC and gave working parents a tax break for child care expenses.

10) Supreme Court: Ruled in Roe v. Wade that women had the right to have an abortion during the first 3 months of pregnancy.

B) The Equal Rights Amendment would have guaranteed equal rights under the law, regardless of gender. Who opposed this? Why?

Who? Conservative religious groups, political organizations, anti-feminists and conservative Phyllis Schlafly.

Why? They felt that the passage of the ERA would lead to the drafting of women, the end of laws protecting homemakers, the end of the husband's responsibility to provide for his family, and same sex marriage.