Society and Culture - 1961 - 69

Life for women - improved

• Betty Friedan created NOW in 1966 - demanded ERA, Bill of rights for women, sought abortion legalisation etc

• Work of NOW → LBJ passing executive order banning gender discrimination in federal contractors

• Growth of women’s lib (shmulith firestone) - 25% felt discriminated against in 1962 → 66% 1974

• The pill led to sexual liberation - 74% of women believed premarital sex was wrong in 69 → 53% in 1973

Life for women - didn’t improve

• Women only 7% of doctors, and 3% of lawyers

• 18 states refused to allow female jurours, still no ERA

• Friedan - women imprisoned in a ‘comfortable concentration camp’ (alcohol/drug use increased due to domesticity)

• Faced discrimination/sexual harassment in SDS, SNCC etc

Immigration changes

• 1965 immigration and nationality act abolished national origins formula, limit of 20,000 immigrants 1965 and 1990 (only 5.8m since 1924)

• Impact - 15.5m of immigrants European (1966-93)

• Bracero programme ended 1965

Cinema

• Both family friendly films (the sound of music) and sexually liberal films (Bob and carol and ted and Alice) popular

• Guess who’s coming to dinner portrayed interracial romance

News media

• Coverage of civil rights movement → CRA/VRA?

• Disproportionate coverage of hippies → Nixon election

• Vietnam - extensive coverage fo get offensive → impression fo chaos/disorder, Walter Cronkite changed mind n Vietnam (dec LBJ support) BUT content more important than coverage style?