The Second Wave

The American women’s rights movement : 

The American women’s rights movement The Second Wave: 1963 to 1980s The Third Wave: 1980s to Present By K.C. Gott

Second Wave 1963-1980s : 

Second Wave 1963-1980s The second wave of activism rose out of the civil rights and anti-war movements 1966 – National Organization for Women formed 1972 – Equal Rights Amendment introduced in the legislature. It failed to be ratified, three states short in 1982

ERA – Equal Rights Amendment : 

ERA – Equal Rights Amendment “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” Originally authored by Alice Paul in 1923 and introduced as the “Lucretia Mott Amendment” at the 75th anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention. Was reworded in the 1940s to the current wording which passed Congress in 1972 and is currently known as the “Alice Paul Amendment.” Failed to be ratified by the states in early 1982, 3 states shy of a 2/3 vote.

Simone de Beauvoir : 

Simone de Beauvoir 1908-1986 The Second Sex, 1949 – one of the most influential works of the 20th century. “I don’t want my life to obey any other will but my own”

Betty Friedan : 

Betty Friedan 1921-2006 Feminine Mystique (1963) kicked off second wave feminist movement in U.S. Argued women had a right to be discontent with domesticity “The problem that has no name…” Co-founder of National Organization for Women

Bella Abzug : 

Bella Abzug 1920-1998 Jewish woman elected to Congress on women’s rights/peace platform Focused on women-related policy change Co-authored FOIA, Government in Sunshine Act, and Right to Privacy Act

Shirley Chisholm : 

Shirley Chisholm 1924-2005 First African American woman elected to Congress (D-NY) from 1969 to 1983 First black woman to run for president in 1972. Her campaign slogan: Unbought and Unbossed

Adrienne Rich : 

Adrienne Rich 1929- Multiple award-winning writer and poet Critical of “compulsory heterosexuality”

Gloria Steinem : 

Gloria Steinem 1934 – Co-founder of Ms. Magazine Went undercover as a Playboy Bunny to examine working conditions Most prominent public figure of the Second Wave “The truth will set you free. But, first, it will piss you off.”

Kate Millett : 

Kate Millett 1934- Radical Feminist/Artist Sexual Politics, 1970, became a significant force in second wave feminism Critiqued major literary works for their subjugation of women

Wilma Mankiller : 

Wilma Mankiller 1945 – First woman American Indian chief Former Chief of Cherokee Nation “Prior to my election, young Cherokee girls would never have thought that they might grow up and become chief.”

Third Wave 1980s-Present : 

Third Wave 1980s-Present Third wave feminism is a response to the claim that the time for feminism is passed and that we are now living in the post-feminist era Third wave adopts post-structural notions of gender and sexuality. Roots of third wave began with the second wave voices of women of color looking for a new subjectivity in feminist theory

bell hooks : 

bell hooks 1952 – Professor of English at Berea College Writes about connection between race, gender, and class Feminism is for Everybody, 2000 Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center, 1984

Rebecca Walker : 

Rebecca Walker 1969 – “I am not a post-feminism feminist. I am the third wave” Founder of Third Wave Foundation Writer, speaker, and teacher Daughter of Alice Walker

Chela Sandoval : 

Chela Sandoval Focuses on feminism and technology Also focuses on “third world feminism” and feminism for women of color Discusses rhetoric of oppression and resistance Methodology of the Oppressed, 2000

Gloria Anzaldúa : 

Gloria Anzaldúa 1942 – 2004 Mexican American Lesbian feminist Borderlands- LaFrontera: The New Mestiza, 1987 New mestiza would provide new angles of vision to challenge binary thinking so prevalent in Western thinking Meshing of various identities gives us new visions

Jessica Valenti : 

Jessica Valenti Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman's Guide to Why Feminism Matters, 2007 Founder of blog: Feministing.com

Amy Richards and Jennifer Baumgardner : 

Amy Richards and Jennifer Baumgardner Richards Baumgardner Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future, 2000 Grassroots: A Field Guide for Feminist Activism, 2004 Met while working for Ms. magazine

Resources : 

Resources ETSU Women’s Studies Program: www.etsu.edu/womenstudies The National Women’s History Project: www.NWHP.org National Parks Service: ww.NPS.gov Feminist.com International Women’s Day: www.InternationalWomensDay.com Womenshistory.about.com