Paper Three: Feminist Movements in USA/Canada/Latin America
SYLLABUS:
Feminist movements in the Americas;
● reasons for emergence
● impact and significance
Reasons for Emergence........................................................................................................................................................................................ 2
Impact.................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Methods- Were they successful/unsuccessful?.................................................................................................................................................... 11
Factors of success?............................................................................................................................................................................................. 13
Challenges........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15
Compare and contrast questions: comment on reasons for differences
, Reasons for Emergence
Introductory sentence: the second wave feminist movement can be described as a surge in protest for women’s rights, which went beyond the 1920s focus on
political and civil liberties, into the domestic and personal sphere, advocating the mentality of “the personal is the political”.
Line of argument: In both the US and Canada, the feminist movement emerged as a response to persisting inequalities within civil liberties and
women’s economic situation, and was ultimately catalysed by a range of internal socio-cultural influences and inspirations.
USA Canada
Topic sentence: A first overarching factor which contributed to the emergence of the feminist movement in the US and Canada was the longstanding political and civil
inequality between men and women.
Persisting ● Despite having gained the right to vote in 1920→ limited by ● Only by 1940 did all provinces grant women voting rights,
Inequalities- lacked socio-cultural norms about the role of women - confining them ● equal employment, and control over reproductive systems and
civil liberties property
to the home ○ Difficult to get out of marriages
○ Thus, the war did not cause longstanding change to the role ○ Abortions were illegal
and status of women ● Despite increasing uni entrance enrollment was mostly in
○ Prevailing belief was still that legal equality would not be women’s courses
○ 10% 1920 → 24% 1940
possible since men and women differed physical and social
● Lacked political representation: Until 1960 few women in the
functions
House of Commons and only one woman in provincial
● 1945: legislatures, who was also the first responsible for the first equal
● Lacked political and civil equality: pay legislation in Canada
○ No childcare services
○ Contraception illegal
, Topic sentence: the lack of political and legal equality was compounded by socio-economic difficulties facing women
Economic Pressure ● wwII saw increased number of women in workforce, although ● from involvement in the war women in employment drastically
inequality persisted → only earned 65% of men’s wages increased, however still earned less and still burdened with
‘double day’ with no childcare provided by government
○ Increasing number of working women (2x in 1968 than in
● War did not alter majority attitudes → thought that legal
1940) → more aware to discuss inequality in the workplace
equality would not be possible since men and women
○ By 1950- ⅓ women were working
● 1960s: differed physical and social functions
○ 80% of teachers but 10% of headteachers ● Following end of war women were forced to return to the home
○ 40% of university students but 10% of faculty ○ Nevertheless, this reinforced the idea that the personal is
○ Two thirds of the fed workforce but 2& of senior the political- the driving force of second wave feminism
managers ○ Since it showed that their relegation to the home was a
○ 7% doctors 3% lawyers political action in itself, despite their being limited to the
○ 50% voters but under 4% state legislators and personal sphere
2% judges ● Increasing number of studying and working women →
○ → more working women more inclined to more aware to discuss inequality in the workplace
discuss inequality ● Although there was a rise of women in work, mostly in lower
● Gender inequality often enshrined in law or practice paying jobs: 70% of menial jobs were held by women
● 18 states forbade women to be jurors, 17 to be ● Wage gap: 64%
bartenders and six could not enter into financial ● Cultural barriers prevented them from becoming lawyers and
agreements without a male co-signatory doctors
● Schools expelled pregnant girls and fired pregnant ● Lack of role given in the economy arguably led to increasing
teachers use of alcohol and tranquilizers, due to the post-war
● Some states prohibited married women from having suburbanization which made upper-middle-class women feel
contraception unfulfilled and disconnected
● Articulate middle class women began agitating for
eqqual pay for equal work, equal opportunities and
SYLLABUS:
Feminist movements in the Americas;
● reasons for emergence
● impact and significance
Reasons for Emergence........................................................................................................................................................................................ 2
Impact.................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Methods- Were they successful/unsuccessful?.................................................................................................................................................... 11
Factors of success?............................................................................................................................................................................................. 13
Challenges........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15
Compare and contrast questions: comment on reasons for differences
, Reasons for Emergence
Introductory sentence: the second wave feminist movement can be described as a surge in protest for women’s rights, which went beyond the 1920s focus on
political and civil liberties, into the domestic and personal sphere, advocating the mentality of “the personal is the political”.
Line of argument: In both the US and Canada, the feminist movement emerged as a response to persisting inequalities within civil liberties and
women’s economic situation, and was ultimately catalysed by a range of internal socio-cultural influences and inspirations.
USA Canada
Topic sentence: A first overarching factor which contributed to the emergence of the feminist movement in the US and Canada was the longstanding political and civil
inequality between men and women.
Persisting ● Despite having gained the right to vote in 1920→ limited by ● Only by 1940 did all provinces grant women voting rights,
Inequalities- lacked socio-cultural norms about the role of women - confining them ● equal employment, and control over reproductive systems and
civil liberties property
to the home ○ Difficult to get out of marriages
○ Thus, the war did not cause longstanding change to the role ○ Abortions were illegal
and status of women ● Despite increasing uni entrance enrollment was mostly in
○ Prevailing belief was still that legal equality would not be women’s courses
○ 10% 1920 → 24% 1940
possible since men and women differed physical and social
● Lacked political representation: Until 1960 few women in the
functions
House of Commons and only one woman in provincial
● 1945: legislatures, who was also the first responsible for the first equal
● Lacked political and civil equality: pay legislation in Canada
○ No childcare services
○ Contraception illegal
, Topic sentence: the lack of political and legal equality was compounded by socio-economic difficulties facing women
Economic Pressure ● wwII saw increased number of women in workforce, although ● from involvement in the war women in employment drastically
inequality persisted → only earned 65% of men’s wages increased, however still earned less and still burdened with
‘double day’ with no childcare provided by government
○ Increasing number of working women (2x in 1968 than in
● War did not alter majority attitudes → thought that legal
1940) → more aware to discuss inequality in the workplace
equality would not be possible since men and women
○ By 1950- ⅓ women were working
● 1960s: differed physical and social functions
○ 80% of teachers but 10% of headteachers ● Following end of war women were forced to return to the home
○ 40% of university students but 10% of faculty ○ Nevertheless, this reinforced the idea that the personal is
○ Two thirds of the fed workforce but 2& of senior the political- the driving force of second wave feminism
managers ○ Since it showed that their relegation to the home was a
○ 7% doctors 3% lawyers political action in itself, despite their being limited to the
○ 50% voters but under 4% state legislators and personal sphere
2% judges ● Increasing number of studying and working women →
○ → more working women more inclined to more aware to discuss inequality in the workplace
discuss inequality ● Although there was a rise of women in work, mostly in lower
● Gender inequality often enshrined in law or practice paying jobs: 70% of menial jobs were held by women
● 18 states forbade women to be jurors, 17 to be ● Wage gap: 64%
bartenders and six could not enter into financial ● Cultural barriers prevented them from becoming lawyers and
agreements without a male co-signatory doctors
● Schools expelled pregnant girls and fired pregnant ● Lack of role given in the economy arguably led to increasing
teachers use of alcohol and tranquilizers, due to the post-war
● Some states prohibited married women from having suburbanization which made upper-middle-class women feel
contraception unfulfilled and disconnected
● Articulate middle class women began agitating for
eqqual pay for equal work, equal opportunities and
