Feminist Movements Notes

The Feminine Mystique (1963)

Background and Causes

• After World War II, many women in the United States were encouraged to return to domestic life, while men resumed public and professional roles.
• The 1950s idealized the suburban housewife, promoting the idea that a woman’s fulfillment came from marriage, motherhood, and home care.
• Despite material comfort, many educated women felt unfulfilled and isolated, struggling with what author Betty Friedan called “the problem that has no name.”
• Friedan, a journalist and college graduate, surveyed her classmates from Smith College and found widespread dissatisfaction among women who had given up careers for family life.

Publication and Main Ideas

• Published in 1963, The Feminine Mystique challenged the belief that women were naturally satisfied by domestic life.
• Friedan argued that society, education, and the media had trapped women in a cycle of dependence and passivity, discouraging ambition and individuality.
• She called for greater access to education, careers, and personal growth, arguing that women must define themselves beyond their husbands and children.
• The book became a bestseller and sparked public debate, inspiring thousands of women to question traditional gender roles and pursue equality.

Impact and Legacy

• The Feminine Mystique helped launch second-wave feminism, which focused on workplace equality, reproductive rights, and social liberation.
• In 1966, Friedan co-founded the National Organization for Women (NOW) to push for legal and political reforms such as equal pay and childcare access.
• The book led to policy discussions on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (1964), which banned gender discrimination in employment.
• Critics noted that Friedan’s focus was largely on white, middle-class women, but the book still opened the door for later, more inclusive feminist movements.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Background and Causes

• Before 1973, abortion laws in the United States varied by state. Most banned the procedure except to save the mother’s life.
• The women’s rights movement of the 1960s and early 1970s argued that reproductive freedom was essential to gender equality and personal autonomy.
• The case began when “Jane Roe” (Norma McCorvey), a Texas woman, challenged the state’s law criminalizing abortion, arguing it violated her constitutional right to privacy.
• The lawsuit, filed in 1970 against Dallas District Attorney Henry Wade, became a national test of the balance between women’s rights and state power.

The Supreme Court Decision (1973)

• On January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 7–2 decision that women have the right to choose abortion under the 14th Amendment’s Due Process Clause.
• The Court divided pregnancy into three trimesters:
  • In the first trimester, the decision was left to the woman and her doctor.
  • In the second, the state could regulate abortion for maternal health.
  • In the third, the state could restrict or ban abortion except to protect the mother’s life.
• The decision struck down many state laws banning abortion and established abortion as a federal constitutional right.

3. Impact and Legacy

• Roe v. Wade became one of the most controversial and influential rulings in U.S. history.
• It symbolized a major victory for the women’s liberation movement, linking reproductive freedom to broader struggles for equality.
• The decision sparked a powerful “pro-life” (anti-abortion) movement, creating a long-lasting divide in American politics and culture.
• Subsequent court cases, including Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), reaffirmed Roe’s core principle but allowed more state regulation.
• In 2022, the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision overturned Roe, returning abortion rights to state control, reigniting debates over personal freedom and constitutional rights.