Women Fight for Equality

• The Feminist movement gained ground in the 1960’s– Feminism: The belief that women should have economic,

political, and social equality with men– Women were largely shut out of high-paid professions

• Many of these jobs were considered “men’s work”• Women were also generally not promoted to management

– Women’s rights organizations, such as the National Organization for Women (NOW), were founded• NOW fought for child-care facilities that would allow women to work

and get an education• They also pushed the federal government to investigate discrimination

in hiring

– Important legal changes were made in the 1960’s and early 1970’s• Congress banned discrimination in any program receiving federal

assistance• Roe V. Wade declared that women have the right to an abortion, which

remains one of the most controversial issues in the US today

The Equal Rights Amendment

• In 1972, Congress passed the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) which reads, in part: Equality of Rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex

• Brainstorm: Why might people have supported this? Why might people have opposed it? Write down your answers in complete sentences

• While the Equal Rights Amendment was passed by Congress, it did not become a constitutional amendment– A constitutional amendment must be ratified by ¾ of

the states– The ERA was ratified by 35 states, three short of what

was needed

Discussions

• Come up with four complex discussion questions regarding women’s rights– These should come from the upper levels of

Bloom’s Taxonomy