Women's Strike for Equality
Encyclopedia
The Women’s Strike for Equality was a strike
which took place in the United States on August 26, 1970. It celebrated the 50th anniversary of the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment
, which effectively gave American women the right to vote. The rally was sponsored by the National Organization for Women
(NOW). More than 20,000 women gathered for the protest in New York City
and throughout the country. At this time, the gathering was the largest on behalf of women in the United States. The strike primarily focused on equal opportunity
in the workforce, political rights for women, and social equality in relationships such as marriage. It also addressed the right to have an abortion
and free childcare
, but these were more controversial positions which more conservative women, including pro-life feminists
, generally did not agree with.
, which prohibited pay discrimination
between two people who performed the same job, women comparatively earned 59 cents for every dollar a man made for similar work. In some areas of the country, women with college degrees earned significantly less than men with an eighth grade education. Women were further restricted in terms of their access to higher education
, such as medical or law school
, and the job market after receiving subsequent degrees. Only 5–10% of women were allowed in institutions of higher education. Sandra Day O'Connor
, the first female Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court
, who graduated at the top of her class from Stanford Law School
, was offered only secretarial jobs in Los Angeles law firms despite her prestigious degree. In 43 states, women were limited in the number of hours they could work and the amount of weight they could carry (generally no more than 25 pounds (11.3 kg), the size of a toddler, as some feminists noted). In many states, women were also unable to obtain credit cards, make wills, or own property without a husband. The right to serve on a jury was denied to women in some states. Sex-segregated restaurants, planes, and meeting places were commonplace and made some business dealings embarrassing to impossible for professional women.
, considered to many to be the mother of feminism
, planned the protest. She said the movement was in need of “something big, something so big it will make national headlines”. She initially proposed the idea to the National Organization for Women, an organization which she had helped found. However, members were hesitant, fearful that the protest would not be successful and would create a mockery of their movement.
Friedan continued to develop a workable strategy beginning months in advance despite the negative reception. The initial strategy meeting was small and chaotic; planners sat in a circle and discussed possible strategies without a real leader or any formal organization. The meeting produced nothing tangible or relevant. As the plans progressed, so did the controversy. In the final month leading up to the event, the movement was significantly divided into two factions: the young “radical, crazies” and the “bourgeoisie” founders.
But Friedan prevailed and avoided deep divisions by recruiting women and men, liberals and conservatives alike. Friedan sought permission from the city of New York
to close Fifth Avenue for the protest. The city refused.
Their message was clear and evident through the various methods of protest implemented in the city. Thousands of politically and satirically charged signs dotted the crowd. “Don’t iron while the strike is hot” set the stage as the movement’s famous slogan. Other slogans included: “Hardhats for Soft Broads,” “I Am Not a Barbie Doll”, “Storks Fly – Why Can’t Mothers”, “We are the 51% minority”, and “We have the right to vote for the man of our choice”. Speeches were given to ignite the crowd and to inform bystanders of their mission. Friedan spoke of the strength and ability of women to rise above their oppression. The goals were to portray their movement and ideas in a politically determined light and expose the injustices experienced by women.
In conjunction with the women in New York City, individuals and groups throughout the nation staged protests, marches, and other various forms of revolt to honor the movement. In Detroit, women staged a sit-in
in a men’s restroom, protesting unequal facilities for men and women staffers. In Pittsburgh, women threw eggs at a radio host who dared them to show their liberation. Women in Washington, D.C. staged a march down Connecticut Avenue behind a banner reading “We Demand Equality”; in the same city, government workers organized a peaceful protest and staged a “teach-in
”, which educated people about the injustices done to women, mindful that it was against the law for government workers to strike. “Silent vigils” held in Los Angeles drew meager crowds of only 500. Lastly, in Minneapolis, women famously gathered and put on guerrilla theater, portraying key figures in the national abortion debate and classic stereotypical roles of women in American society; women were portrayed as mothers and wives, doing dishes, rearing children and doting obnoxiously on their husbands, all while wearing heels and an apron.
Betty Friedan declared the event a success, despite initial obstacles and setbacks. Coupled with protests and demonstrations throughout the country, she proclaimed, “It exceeded my wildest dreams. It’s now a political movement and the message is clear”.
Many media outlets also questioned the validity of the protest. CBS
news quoted a poll that found two-thirds of American women did not feel they were oppressed. News anchor Eric Sevareid
compared the movement to an infectious disease and ended his report claiming that the women of the movement were nothing more than “a band of braless bubbleheads”.
Many feminists were angry and dismayed by the language used by major media outlets to describe the movement, as many claimed the reporting was biased and condescending, focused primarily on the rage of the women in the march and not the overall message. CBS continued to fuel the anger when reporter Howard K. Smith
publicly spoke against the movement, denying its credibility and claiming a lack of evidence for the cause. The women’s movement subsequently engaged in a media backlash, boycotting the four major corporations whose advertising and broadcasting was offensive and degrading. CBS eventually retracted Smith's statement. Smith later clarified that he did not support women's liberation because, in his view, women were already liberated. "Women dominate our elections; they probably own most of the nation's capital wealth; any man who thinks he, and not his wife, runs his family is dreaming."
Not all media attention, however, was negative. President Richard Nixon
issued a proclamation acknowledging the credibility of the movement and designated the suffrage anniversary as “Women’s Rights Day”. Time Magazine also supported the cause and published a series of articles highlighting the issues of the movement.
The significance of the protest was vast for its supporters. Feminists and scholars claimed that the movement sparked the start of the second wave of feminism
owing to the protest's high profile in the media and the country.
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
which took place in the United States on August 26, 1970. It celebrated the 50th anniversary of the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment
Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits any United States citizen to be denied the right to vote based on sex. It was ratified on August 18, 1920....
, which effectively gave American women the right to vote. The rally was sponsored by the National Organization for Women
National Organization for Women
The National Organization for Women is the largest feminist organization in the United States. It was founded in 1966 and has a membership of 500,000 contributing members. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S...
(NOW). More than 20,000 women gathered for the protest in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and throughout the country. At this time, the gathering was the largest on behalf of women in the United States. The strike primarily focused on equal opportunity
Equal opportunity
Equal opportunity, or equality of opportunity, is a controversial political concept; and an important informal decision-making standard without a precise definition involving fair choices within the public sphere...
in the workforce, political rights for women, and social equality in relationships such as marriage. It also addressed the right to have an abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
and free childcare
Childcare
Child care means caring for and supervising child/children usually from 0–13 years of age. In the United States child care is increasingly referred to as early childhood education due to the understanding of the impact of early experiences of the developing child...
, but these were more controversial positions which more conservative women, including pro-life feminists
Pro-life feminism
Pro-life feminism is the opposition to abortion by a group of feminists who believe that the principles which inform their support of women's rights also call them to support the right to life of prenatal humans...
, generally did not agree with.
Historical context
At the time of the protest, women still did not enjoy many of the same freedoms and rights as men. Despite the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963Equal Pay Act of 1963
The Equal Pay Act of 1963 is a United States federal law amending the Fair Labor Standards Act, aimed at abolishing wage disparity based on sex . It was signed into law on June 10, 1963 by John F. Kennedy as part of his New Frontier Program...
, which prohibited pay discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
between two people who performed the same job, women comparatively earned 59 cents for every dollar a man made for similar work. In some areas of the country, women with college degrees earned significantly less than men with an eighth grade education. Women were further restricted in terms of their access to higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
, such as medical or law school
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
, and the job market after receiving subsequent degrees. Only 5–10% of women were allowed in institutions of higher education. Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor is an American jurist who was the first female member of the Supreme Court of the United States. She served as an Associate Justice from 1981 until her retirement from the Court in 2006. O'Connor was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981...
, the first female Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States are the members of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the Chief Justice of the United States...
, who graduated at the top of her class from Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School is a graduate school at Stanford University located in the area known as the Silicon Valley, near Palo Alto, California in the United States. The Law School was established in 1893 when former President Benjamin Harrison joined the faculty as the first professor of law...
, was offered only secretarial jobs in Los Angeles law firms despite her prestigious degree. In 43 states, women were limited in the number of hours they could work and the amount of weight they could carry (generally no more than 25 pounds (11.3 kg), the size of a toddler, as some feminists noted). In many states, women were also unable to obtain credit cards, make wills, or own property without a husband. The right to serve on a jury was denied to women in some states. Sex-segregated restaurants, planes, and meeting places were commonplace and made some business dealings embarrassing to impossible for professional women.
Organization
Thus, in order to commemorate the anniversary of landmark legislation and to spotlight present battles, Betty FriedanBetty Friedan
Betty Friedan was an American writer, activist, and feminist.A leading figure in the Women's Movement in the United States, her 1963 book The Feminine Mystique is often credited with sparking the "second wave" of American feminism in the twentieth century...
, considered to many to be the mother of feminism
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
, planned the protest. She said the movement was in need of “something big, something so big it will make national headlines”. She initially proposed the idea to the National Organization for Women, an organization which she had helped found. However, members were hesitant, fearful that the protest would not be successful and would create a mockery of their movement.
Friedan continued to develop a workable strategy beginning months in advance despite the negative reception. The initial strategy meeting was small and chaotic; planners sat in a circle and discussed possible strategies without a real leader or any formal organization. The meeting produced nothing tangible or relevant. As the plans progressed, so did the controversy. In the final month leading up to the event, the movement was significantly divided into two factions: the young “radical, crazies” and the “bourgeoisie” founders.
But Friedan prevailed and avoided deep divisions by recruiting women and men, liberals and conservatives alike. Friedan sought permission from the city of New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to close Fifth Avenue for the protest. The city refused.
The strike
Despite the setback, women gathered on the streets around 5 pm (that specific time being chosen so that working women could attend) and began protesting. Methods of protesting in New York included chanting, speeches by prominent figures, including Friedan, and signs and posters reflecting their message. Estimates range that anywhere from ten to twenty thousand people, mostly women, gathered on Fifth Avenue in support. Police attempted to control the crowd and keep them on the sidewalks, but the sheer volume of people in the streets was impossible to control.Their message was clear and evident through the various methods of protest implemented in the city. Thousands of politically and satirically charged signs dotted the crowd. “Don’t iron while the strike is hot” set the stage as the movement’s famous slogan. Other slogans included: “Hardhats for Soft Broads,” “I Am Not a Barbie Doll”, “Storks Fly – Why Can’t Mothers”, “We are the 51% minority”, and “We have the right to vote for the man of our choice”. Speeches were given to ignite the crowd and to inform bystanders of their mission. Friedan spoke of the strength and ability of women to rise above their oppression. The goals were to portray their movement and ideas in a politically determined light and expose the injustices experienced by women.
In conjunction with the women in New York City, individuals and groups throughout the nation staged protests, marches, and other various forms of revolt to honor the movement. In Detroit, women staged a sit-in
Sit-in
A sit-in or sit-down is a form of protest that involves occupying seats or sitting down on the floor of an establishment.-Process:In a sit-in, protesters remain until they are evicted, usually by force, or arrested, or until their requests have been met...
in a men’s restroom, protesting unequal facilities for men and women staffers. In Pittsburgh, women threw eggs at a radio host who dared them to show their liberation. Women in Washington, D.C. staged a march down Connecticut Avenue behind a banner reading “We Demand Equality”; in the same city, government workers organized a peaceful protest and staged a “teach-in
Teach-in
A teach-in is similar to a general educational forum on any complicated issue, usually an issue involving current political affairs. The main difference between a teach-in and a seminar is the refusal to limit the discussion to a specific frame of time or an academic scope of the topic. Teach-ins...
”, which educated people about the injustices done to women, mindful that it was against the law for government workers to strike. “Silent vigils” held in Los Angeles drew meager crowds of only 500. Lastly, in Minneapolis, women famously gathered and put on guerrilla theater, portraying key figures in the national abortion debate and classic stereotypical roles of women in American society; women were portrayed as mothers and wives, doing dishes, rearing children and doting obnoxiously on their husbands, all while wearing heels and an apron.
Betty Friedan declared the event a success, despite initial obstacles and setbacks. Coupled with protests and demonstrations throughout the country, she proclaimed, “It exceeded my wildest dreams. It’s now a political movement and the message is clear”.
Reactions and media coverage
The movement received a multitude of local and national attention, both positive and negative. In opposition, some women called for the “National Celebration of Womanhood”, a day dedicated to women dressing in “frilly,” feminine clothing, singing while doing the laundry, and cooking breakfast in bed for their husbands. Other women simply watched the protest, unsure of its implications or what exactly they were protesting. One woman in the crowd was quoted as saying, “I don’t know what these women are thinking of. I love the idea of looking delectable and having men whistle at me.”Many media outlets also questioned the validity of the protest. CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
news quoted a poll that found two-thirds of American women did not feel they were oppressed. News anchor Eric Sevareid
Eric Sevareid
Arnold Eric Sevareid was a CBS news journalist from 1939 to 1977. He was one of a group of elite war correspondents—dubbed "Murrow's Boys"—because they were hired by pioneering CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow....
compared the movement to an infectious disease and ended his report claiming that the women of the movement were nothing more than “a band of braless bubbleheads”.
Many feminists were angry and dismayed by the language used by major media outlets to describe the movement, as many claimed the reporting was biased and condescending, focused primarily on the rage of the women in the march and not the overall message. CBS continued to fuel the anger when reporter Howard K. Smith
Howard K. Smith
Howard Kingsbury Smith was an American journalist, radio reporter, television anchorman, political commentator, and film actor. He was one of the original Edward R. Murrow boys.-Early life:...
publicly spoke against the movement, denying its credibility and claiming a lack of evidence for the cause. The women’s movement subsequently engaged in a media backlash, boycotting the four major corporations whose advertising and broadcasting was offensive and degrading. CBS eventually retracted Smith's statement. Smith later clarified that he did not support women's liberation because, in his view, women were already liberated. "Women dominate our elections; they probably own most of the nation's capital wealth; any man who thinks he, and not his wife, runs his family is dreaming."
Not all media attention, however, was negative. President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
issued a proclamation acknowledging the credibility of the movement and designated the suffrage anniversary as “Women’s Rights Day”. Time Magazine also supported the cause and published a series of articles highlighting the issues of the movement.
The significance of the protest was vast for its supporters. Feminists and scholars claimed that the movement sparked the start of the second wave of feminism
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
owing to the protest's high profile in the media and the country.