06. 1941-91 - Activists, reformers and campaigners Flashcards
What happened at Arlington Cemetery in January 1968?
A group of young feminists conducted the ‘Burial of True Womanhood’
What were the feminists at Arlington demanding?
An end to the weak submissive woman – and the rise of a strong, powerful womanhood
Why did few politicians act on women’s concerns in the 1950s?
Women voters did not particularly united – they did not vote ‘en bloc’ - and so politicians generally did not court their votes.
Why were women disappointed by JFK?
He promised to take women’s issues seriously – but then underdelivered
What did JFK’s ‘Commission on the Status of Women’ suggest in 1963?
On the one hand, it led to the 1963 Equal Pay Act.
On the other hand, it promoted training for women for marriage and motherhood.
In what way did JFK disappoint Margaret Sanger?
He refused to recognise the need for birth control to be the responsibility of the federal government
Why did the Equal Employments Opportunities Commission, a federal agency, further disappoint women?
It was supposed to enforce the Equal Pay Act and Civil Rights Act (1964), but did not do so to the extent feminists wanted.
What was one of the core tenets of the ‘new’ feminism of the 1960s?
It rejected the idea that protection of home and family were its raison d’etre.
It was also aggressive in its tactics.
Who was Betty Friedan?
A feminist who published ‘The Feminine Mystique’ (1963)
What did Betty Friedan’s ‘The Feminine Mystique’ (1963) argue?
She argued women were yearning to escape from their ‘comfortable concentration camps’ (i.e. their suburban homes) to discover their own identities
How successful was Friedan’s book?
Hugely – her ideas gained wide appeal, particularly among middle class women
What did Freidan found in 1966?
The National Organisation for Women (NOW)
What did NOW press for?
Equality
What word entered the vernacular?
‘Sexism’
Why were feminists slow to accept the emergence of the pill?
Largely due to fears over the health risks of the pill
