Feminism (REVISED)

Emergence #1

Structural Inequality & Patriarchy

• deeply entrenched patriarchy excluded women from legal rights, employment equality and political power

• social expectations = domestic roles (post WWII)

• lack of recognition of unpaid domestic labour = inequality

Emergence #2

Wartime Transformation

• Massive entry of women into the workforce (e.g, Rosie the Riveter)

• exposure to economic independence & non-traditional roles

• post-war dismissal from jobs created frustration & awareness of inequality

  • long-term shift in consciousness = fueled feminist movements

Emergence #3

Dissatisfaction w/ Domestic Post War Ideoloy

• 1950’s ideal of “happy housewife” masked widespread dissatisfaction

• Women experience isolation & lack of fulfillment "(“problem that has no name”)

• media reinforced unrealistic and restrictive gender norms

Emergence #4

Influence of Key Texts/Thinkers

• Feminine Mystique expose systemic dissatisfaction

• Catalyzed 2nd-wave feminism

  • workplace equality

  • reproductive rights

  • social liberation

Emergence #5

Civil Rights & Broader Activism

• Feminism grew alongside:

  • civil rights movements

  • anti-war activism

• Women recognized their exclusion from leadership roles → even w/ progressive movements

Emergence (Latin America)

Latin America

• authoritarian regimes & strong Roman Catholic influence restricted women’s rights

• Feminism initially emerged in a “muted” form = poltiical parties

• later driven by

  • resistance to repression (e.g. Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo)

  • Democratization in the 1980s (demanding human rights/opposing military dictatorships)

Impact #1

Legal/Political Gains

• Title VII of Civil Rights Act (1964) → banned gender discrimination in employment

• Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms (1982) → ended legal sex discrimination

• increased female political representation & participation

• expansion of suffrage rights across America

Impact #2

Workplace & Economic Change

• greater access to employment opp.

• growth of equal pay mov. (e.g. campaigned for ERA, 1970s-1980s)

  • Montreal Women’s Liberation Movement (1960s-1970s)

• increased female workforce participation

Impact #3

Reproductive & Social Rights

• Roe V. Wade legalized abortion (w/ ongoing controversy)

• increased awareness & activism around:

  • sexual harassment

  • domestic violence

  • reproductive autonomy

Impact #4

Institutional & Organizational Growth

• Creation of groups like:

  • NOW (equal pay, workplace rights, repo libre)

  • VWC (SFU, repo. rights, childcare, equal pay) → Abortion Caravan (1970)

  • FLF (linked Women’s liberation to Quebec sovereignty)

• government involvement (e.g, Royal Commission on Status of Women in Canada)

Impact #5

Global & Cross-Movement Influence

• inspired activism globally, esp. LA

  • e.g, Ni Una Menos (anti-femicide)

  • e.g, “Popular Feminism” intersection w/ human rights; community activism

• marginalized groups = broader equality

Significance #1

Long-Term Transformation

• feminist movements = redefined women’s roles in society

• WWII & 2nd-wave feminism transformed social attitudes → even when policy lagged

Significance #2

Foundation for Ongoing Activism

opened the door for

• intersectional feminism

  • Combahee River Collective (1974); Black lesbians protested against interlocking systems (racism, sexism, etc..)

  • Audre Lorde & Bell Hooks (“White Feminism”)

• LGBTQ+ advocacy

  • Stonewall Riots (M.P. Johnson, fought against targeted police raids)

  • pivotal shift toward proactive fighting(GLF) rather than passive accep. of discrimination

• racial & class-based feminist movements

Significance #3

Limits of Reform

• persistent inequalities:

  • wage gap

  • underrepresentation in leadership

• Failure of the ERA shows internal resistance (STOP ERA, Phyllis Schlafly)

Significance #4

Internal Division & Fragmentation

• Spilts along: race, class, sexual orientation

• Emergence of groups like

  • NBFO (1973); intersectional issues

  • The Furies Collective (1971): lesbian separatist group (radical) → argued against the conservatism of mainstream gay rights/feminist org.

Significance #5

Backlash & Opposition

• conservative resistance (e.g, anti-feminist movements in 1980s)

  • STOP ERA (argued ERA = ruin traditional gender roles)

• media distortion weakened public perception

  • feminist progress → contested, not linear

Significance #6

Regional Significance

• North America: tied to institutional/legal gains

• Latin America: tied to democratization & political resistance

  • feminism’s adaptability to different political context