Second-Wave Feminist Movement Analysis

The second-wave feminist movement had a positive influence on our current society as exemplified by the National Organization for Women, Redstockings, Anti-Rape Movement, Battered Women’s Movement, by women such as Robin Morgan, Carol Hanisch, Betty Friedan, and Gloria Steinem, as well as topics like abortion, birth control, college, job opportunities, the use of Ms., and black women empowerment. To begin with, the National Organization for Women was an essential element to why American women have as many rights as they do. This movement encompassed most of the ideals of the second-wave feminist movement and became established by their defiance towards oppression from the government and job discrimination. From the “Bill of Rights for Women”

It’s name comes from the combination of the “bluestocking” nickname feminism was given at that time and “red” to symbolize revolution, and they were completely a powerful force behind the movement for the liberation for women (About Redstockings of the Women 's Liberation Movement). One of their well-known mottos is “The Personal Is Political,” after women were told to stop bringing in their personal problems, such as appearance and abortion, into the political arena. One of the outcomes of this movement was the “redstocking manifesto” which, like NOW, demanded an end to a society where men dominated everything. A lesser known but still influential novel published by the Redstockings is Feminist Revolution, which elucidated the key struggles women faced regarding the rebirth of the feminist movement. This association also gained a lot of attention and traction due to their “speakouts” which were protests primarily on the topic of abortion. Today. Through this movement, they challenged traditional family values and what roles women were allowed to be in society and it has changed American life for the

While the alleged burning of bras was a myth, the protesting women outside of a Miss America pageant tossed beauty care items, constricting clothing, cleaning supplies, and magazines into the “freedom trash can” (People & Events: The 1968 Protest). One of the organizers of this protest was Robin Morgan. This event attacked ludicrous beauty standards for women, and while not the most successful protest and with much belittlement from newspapers at the time, it sparked conversation about women’s rights. Because of the enormous at-home audience watching the Miss America pageant and the subsequent coverage of the protest, the entire country’s cognizance of the struggles of women increased dramatically which spurred more action and emphasis on the