Women's Rights Movement

Women’s Rights Movement - 2nd Wave

The Second Wave of the Women’s Rights Movement, which flourished from the 1960s to the 1980s, sought to address issues of gender inequality in all areas of public and private life. Fueled by the publication of Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique in 1963, women’s rights activists like Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm, and Bella Abzug challenged societal norms, fought for reproductive rights, equal pay, and workplace protections, and worked to expand women’s roles in politics and education. Key victories included the passage of Title IX in 1972, which prohibited gender discrimination in schools, and the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling, which legalized abortion. The movement sparked conversations about women’s autonomy, paving the way for modern feminism and ongoing efforts to combat sexism and gender-based violence.

Black Feminism & Intersectionality | International Socialist Review : The widely accepted narrative of the modern feminist movement is that it initially involved white women beginning in the late 1960s and early 1970s, who were later joined by women of color following in their footsteps. But this narrative is factually incorrect (article).

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 | U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission : The text of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (Pub. L. 88-38) (EPA), as amended, as it appears in volume 29 of the United States Code, at section 206(d). The EPA, which is part of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended (FLSA), and which is administered and enforced by the EEOC, prohibits sex-based wage discrimination between men and women in the same establishment who perform jobs that require substantially equal skill, effort and responsibility under similar working conditions. Cross references to the EPA as enacted appear in italics following the section heading. Additional provisions of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, as amended, are included as they appear in volume 29 of the United States Code. 

Feminism: The Second Wave | National Women's History Museum : Includes an informational slideshow.

FRAmes on GENder| Institute of Gender Equality and Women's History : Books, articles and pamphlets that were influential in the development of feminist ideas in 29 countries during the second half of the 20th century.

Jewish Women's Archive : Documents the story of Jewish women and the feminist revolution.

Lesbian Herstory Archives : Provides artifacts of Lesbian lives and activities so that future generations will have ready access to materials relevant to their lives.

National Organization of Women (NOW) : The largest organization of feminist grassroots activists in the United States. NOW’s purpose is to take action through intersectional grassroots activism to promote feminist ideals, lead societal change, eliminate discrimination, and achieve and protect the equal rights of all women and girls in all aspects of social, political, and economic life.

She's Beautiful When She's Angry (2014) : American documentary film about some of the women involved in the second wave feminism movement in the United States. It was directed by Mary Dore and co-produced by Nancy Kennedy. It was the first documentary film to cover feminism's second wave. 

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 | U.S. Department of Justice 

Women and Leadership Archives : Digital records of women and women’s organizations, which document women’s lives, roles, and contributions (see tab: Collections).

Women's Liberation Movement Print Culture | Duke University Libraries :  Manifestos, speeches, essays, and other materials documenting various aspects of the Women's Movement in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s.