During the war, women contributed by joining the work force in place of their husbands who were fighting the war abroad. However, when the men returned, women were forced back into their domestic roles. This transition made many of these women question why their equality had yet to be given to them. In the war, women were praised for supporting their husbands. After the war, women were expected to return to their roles as caretakers of the home. Women in the 1960s were limited to their homes, being the caretaker and teacher of her children and the spouse of her husband. For women who were able to work, they took on jobs that fit their gender role such as a secretary, nurse, and teacher. However, at the same time, women were increasingly portrayed as sexual objects by events like the Miss America Pageant and companies like Playboy.
As a result, many women faced discrimination and unequal pay in the work force. Despite working the same number of hours and doing the same work as men, they were paid less than men. Seeing that African Americans were fighting for their equality through the Civil Rights Movement, women questioned why they couldn't do the same.
Women also found their existence constantly justified by their children or their husband. They were seen as subservient characters. Hence, when the pill was approved by the FDA for purposes other than birth control in 1957, contraceptives began to connote women's independence. Contraceptives gave women a choice, whether or not they want to have a baby, and if they did, when they wanted it. This challenged women's traditional gender roles as caretakers and mothers as they were no longer confined to the home. In 1962, feminist Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique portraying the dull life of a housewife and thus encouraging women to expand their roles.
Even today, this wave of feminism continues to leave its impact on our lives. The issue of abortion remains controversial, and women are still fighting for their rights to equal pay in the work force. These current events confirm the fact that the women's rights movement is far from over.
Sources:
https://tavaana.org/en/content/1960s-70s-american-feminist-movement-breaking-down-barriers-women
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/health/a-brief-history-of-the-birth-control-pill/480/
http://www.enotes.com/topics/feminine-mystique
Civil Rights WS
It's really sad to think that women were not equally payed as men even though they worked the same amount of hours, or even worked twice as hard as men did. Not only that, but there was another shift in society when the birth control pill was introduced. This was another shift, because the American culture was for women to marry and take care of their kids; but with the birth control pill there was a new freedom that women had in which many did not appreciate.
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