Feminism And The Socio-Economic Repression Of Women
History is a serious of events evolving individuals, experiences, policies, and ideas that occurred in the past. Political ideologies and the paradoxes of their implementations, growth of nation-states, supranationalism, nationalism and internationalism are all significant motifs that shape global history. A sixty-nine year span of history encompasses countless triumphs, downfalls, and milestones politically, economically, and socially. Tensions between individual rights and societal claims has been the most influential theme in shaping global history since the end of World War II. This theme embraces the hardships of minorities fighting societal claims to acquire their basic individual rights during the post – 1945 world. Socio-economic
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The first wave of feminism was in the 1920s when women fought for their right to vote and when consumer culture rose, giving women public prominence. The second wave was in the 1950s and 1960s. Females who were not content with economic and social status of women began to speak up. This feminist movement began around the same time in the US, Japan, and Europe. During World War II, women were placed into the work force due to mobilization. Following Pearl Harbor, millions of women began to work and when the war ended the majority of women wanted to remain working. In the 1940s, women entered the labor market at four times the rate of men (Hunt, 223). Women enjoyed the benefits of working, such as extra money for consumer culture, vacations, schooling, etc. Despite the motivation and hard work, women were underpaid and given jobs in “gender appropriate” fields. The Feminine Mystique, written by Betty Friedan, argued for American women’s rights to work. Over three million copies of her publication were sold. She propositioned that women should have advocacy groups like the NAACP (Hunt 224). In 1966, The National Organization for Women (NOW) was formed in the US. NOW stood for “true equality for all women” and full participation in the mainstream of American society” (Hunt 224). As a result, The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was administered, proclaiming women should receive the same pay as men for the same work and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed workplace discrimination on the basis of sex and race. Europe’s Feminism was focused on gender differences. In Europe women believed they were not the same as men and that it was wrong to demand the same
The first wave of feminism was in the 1920s when women fought for their right to vote and when consumer culture rose, giving women public prominence. The second wave was in the 1950s and 1960s. Females who were not content with economic and social status of women began to speak up. This feminist movement began around the same time in the US, Japan, and Europe. During World War II, women were placed into the work force due to mobilization. Following Pearl Harbor, millions of women began to work and when the war ended the majority of women wanted to remain working. In the 1940s, women entered the labor market at four times the rate of men (Hunt, 223). Women enjoyed the benefits of working, such as extra money for consumer culture, vacations, schooling, etc. Despite the motivation and hard work, women were underpaid and given jobs in “gender appropriate” fields. The Feminine Mystique, written by Betty Friedan, argued for American women’s rights to work. Over three million copies of her publication were sold. She propositioned that women should have advocacy groups like the NAACP (Hunt 224). In 1966, The National Organization for Women (NOW) was formed in the US. NOW stood for “true equality for all women” and full participation in the mainstream of American society” (Hunt 224). As a result, The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was administered, proclaiming women should receive the same pay as men for the same work and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed workplace discrimination on the basis of sex and race. Europe’s Feminism was focused on gender differences. In Europe women believed they were not the same as men and that it was wrong to demand the same