The Women’s Liberation Movement (1960 – 1970) was regarded as the second upsurge of feminism in America. It was throughout that period that many of the standard rights that women enjoy today were enacted. After its establishment, the revolution managed to achieve two major milestones that set the pace. Its first major success was having the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approve the oral contraceptive, which had historically failed. Its second major achievement was the passing and endorsement of the Equal Pay Act, which recognized equivalent pay for both sexes working at the same job level. This sense of liberation was reflected in women’s clothing that became loose and adopted more masculine styles. Therefore, women’s standards of clothing were impacted by the movement’s push for gender equality. In retrospect, this allowed women to gain more freedom that led to higher education and employment rates. The women’s liberation movement in the sixties and seventies helped to change the standards of women’s clothing through creating higher education and employment rates, which led to the need of more practical clothing
The second wave of the feminist movement began in the early 1960s, when women were still expected to get married at a young age and start families. They were not allowed to own legally or have access to their husband’s earnings as indicated in the head and master laws governing them. After marriage, they became homemakers and were expected to work for an average of around 55 hours a week. It was even harder for married women to obtain a divorce in cases of deteriorating marriages, as the “no fault” divorce was not considered, and they were therefore forced to prove that the fault was their husbands’ to be considered for a divorce. For the small number of women working during that period, consisting of around 38 per cent, their roles were limited to those of secretaries, teachers, and nurses. Their numbers were even smaller in professional careers, where they comprised six percent of all doctors in the country, 3 per cent of lawyers and engineer’s women were less than one per cent.
Consequently, they had fewer opportunities and lower levels of respect presented to them, which discouraged most ambitious women from entering the workforce. Additionally, the wage gap amid women and men also acted as a factor that demotivated most women from competing sustainably with men. However, the release of the Feminine Mystique in 1963 created the required momentum for driving change and attaining more gender equality. The book illustrated the frustration and despair that a multitude of college-educated women that were now serving their roles as housewives, thus filling unfulfilled and trapped serving their roles. Most historians accredit the book for igniting the second upsurge of the American feminist movement and the cognizance it created among females.
The movement gained traction in the first half of 1960, leading to the emergence of some feminist organizations that were integral in calling for gender equality. These included organizations like National Organization for Women (NOW), Redstockings, and National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC) . Other that period, these establishments influenced the development of many indigenous and federal régime females’ groups and other independent feminist organizations across the United States. The era also witnessed critical protests like the New York Abortion Speak Out in 1969, the Ladies Home Journal Sit in of 1970, and The Miss America Protest of 1968. The core objectives of these movements were equal pay, gaining unrestricted freedom and access to birth control (abortion), equal work, and equal access to education with their male counterparts.
Nevertheless, the movements were able to attain legal victories like Equal Pay Act of 1963, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and winning over the Griswold v. Connecticut Supreme Court ruling in 1965. In addition to breaking barriers that existed for women in the economic, political and social sectors, the movement also created a sense of liberation that impacted on the fashion and dressing standards of women.
One of the major themes of the Women’s Liberation Movement was to acquire the freedom to explore and control their sexuality with no influence from the society. Through acquiring the freedom to have control over their sexuality and reproductive lives through legalized abortion, the American women could delay marriage and motherhood to pursue professional interests. In retrospect, the freedom also allowed them to deconstruct gender roles and clothing, by gaining the ability to wear more masculine clothes. Before women had been granted the freedom and rights for their sexuality and reproductive health, abortion was illegal in most of the states. For regions where the practice had been legalized, women faced many barriers like high costs and unavailability of enough resources. In the regions where abortion was still considered an illegal practice, the procedure was still fairly common and prevalent, with statistics showing that nearly one million abortions were executed each year in America alone, around the 1960’s. While most illegal abortions were sometimes performed by professional doctors, minimally trained people would also try to capitalize on most women’s desperation and thus causing a high degree of risks for the women’s reproductive health. Hospitals treated thousands of women that were a result of abortion-related ailments, with statistics proving that over one thousand women died each year from abortion-related procedures and botched abortions.
But numerous of these females were consigned to low-reimbursing administrative and clerical roles. What unlocked the chances for females to track proficient occupations was permit to “the Pill” which was a steadfast and FDA approved verbal contraception. With the understanding that young matrimonial women could now comprehensive years of exercise or learning and unveiling their careers deprived of being intermittent by gravidity, a wave of fresh ladies began relating to more professional careers in the business, engineering, law, and medical institutes in the initial 1970s.
Consequently, the pill created the “sexual uprising” conceivable, assisting to halt down the binary typical that permitted premarital intercourse for males, but forbidden it for females. Previously, a loophole existed in the form of granting double standards to sexual freedom in the practical moral fiber of the country. For solo men, they had continuously been clever to present themselves in sensual affairs separate of matrimony, even at the peak of American sexual cleansing in the diminishing times of the 19th century. For males, the erotic uprising altered effects by creating sex moderately cost-free. Females were now enlightened, and the pill greatly dropped the perils of accidental parenthood and undesirable marriages. Hitherto, sex afore bridal, like somewhat deed of civil insubordination, involved risk. Any moment an unattached female had association; she endangered pregnancy, which brought along a incomplete quantity of life shifting options. These included conducting illegal abortions of unsure safety, forced adoption, or single motherhood, or shotgun wedding. In most cases, children from single mothers had their birth certificates stamped for posterity with the word “illegitimate.”
After marriage and pregnancy, women would spend a lot of time in offering care to their children, and thus limiting their competing edge with men. Therefore, the introduction of the pill allowed women to take full benefit of these additional untroubled years to progress their location in the employment market. The Pill also permitted American females to postponement marital and kinship while at the same time remaining sexually active. According to several economists the gush in females’ expert education occurred at the exact moment, the Pill turn out to be legally obtainable to college-aged women. This is because female-controlled contraceptive was easy-to-use, and had few annoyances, little pain, and low health risks. Furthermore, the pill depressed the fee of chasing a career in its straight upshot on the cost associated with having intercourse and its unintended effect of escalating the age at initial marriage. The Supreme Court’s 1973 ruling in Roe vs. Wade enabled females with even superior control of their productiveness decision, an aim that had evaded them while abortion had still been illegal. In 1978, the first test- tube child was conceived magnificently, which again patented the start of the age of sex-free reproduction in women.
Through acquiring the freedom to have control over their sexuality and reproductive lives through legalized abortion, the American women could delay marriage and motherhood to pursue professional interests. In retrospect, the freedom also allowed them to deconstruct gender roles and clothing, by gaining the ability to wear more masculine clothes representing gender equality.
Another of the Women’s Liberation Movement major accomplishment was the legislation of the Equal Pay Act that allowed for equivalent pay between both sexes. The act liberated women from inequality by barring sex-based remuneration discernment amid women and men in the identical formation. In addition, wage discrimination was also prohibited for both sexes who achieved jobs that involved considerably equivalent responsibility, effort, and skill under similar working conditions. Initially, the movement’s major aim was built around disassembling workplace disparity, such as abjuration of the contract to enhanced occupations and remuneration unfairness, via anti-discernment laws. As depicted earlier, women were not allowed to own legally or have access to their husband’s earnings as indicated in the head and master laws governing them. After marriage, they became homemakers and were expected to work for an average of around 55 hours a week. It was even harder for married women to obtain a divorce in cases of deteriorating marriages, as the “no fault” divorce was not considered, and they were therefore forced to prove that the fault was their husbands’ in order to be considered for a divorce.
After World War II, the flourishing of the American growth outperformed the accessible labor force, enabling it essential for females to fill emerging occupation openings. This was also based on the increased awareness of the act that pushed for equal wages between both genders. According to statistics collected in the 1960s, two-thirds of entirely emergent occupations went to women. Intrinsically, the state merely had to admit the impression of females in the labor force. Besides, as prospects for a contented middle-class existence upsurged, having two earnings turn out to be vital to attaining this lifestyle, ensuring females’ contribution in the labor force still more acceptable. Thus, the standards of women’s clothing thus underwent changes as higher education and higher employment rates in women led to the need for more practical clothing.
Another impact that the Women’s Liberation Movement achieved in changing the standards of females’ clothing was the rise of unisex movements. As gender stereotypes were still dominant even after passing of the Equal Pay Act, unisex movements tried to create more awareness by making women’s clothes more masculine. Designers like Diane von Furstenberg and Yves Saint Laurent stimulated females to review gender responsibilities by articulating themselves through custom that departed contrary to old-style of the past eras. Though women had previously held positions of prominence throughout fashion’s history, they had rarely been the overriding force. The pre-war epoch was a golden age for feminine couturiers when ‘dressmaking’, even at the highest levels, was observed as very much a female reserve and male couturiers were something of a novelty. Despite the manumission of women during World War II, the post-war era saw female fashion inventors become the exemption, not the rule. Male stylists such as Christian Dior rose to distinction with the conversion of traditional menswear roles such as tailoring; drapery and preparation are cutting into womenswear, governing both the creative and technical sides of the industry.
Diane Von Furstenberg created unique clothing that not only represented comfort but was also statements of purpose and practicality in the professional fields. These clothes were able to pare down the essence of aspiration and desire in promoting gender equality. The 60s were thus considered periods of banding together into one common identity in the service of social change that had taken precedence. In addition, the Women’s Liberation Movement also gave rise to the emergence of the gay deliverance movements. The rise of homosexuality raised the specter of decadence and homosexuality. Previously, homosexual men and women tended to be purposely invisible. This is because being renowned publicly was to risk one’s career or even being arrested. The new scientific and popular awareness in bisexuality was actually emancipating for homosexual men and women alike, offering them a culturally acceptable alternative to the closet. It was liberating for fashion, as well as promoting gender equality, as unisex clothing did not have to declare one or the other as loudly as before.
It is evident that the Women’s Liberation Movement of 1960 – 1970’s aided immensely in deconstructing barriers existing in women in social, political and economic sectors. After its establishment, the revolution managed to achieve two major milestones, which includes getting FDA approval for the oral contraceptive and passing of the Equal Pay Act. While this movement did not only manage to push for equal rights and destroy sex-based wage discrimination, the sense of liberation that it created was also reflected in women’s clothing, which became loose and more masculine. Through acquiring the freedom to have control over their sexuality and reproductive lives through legalized abortion, the American women could delay marriage and motherhood to pursue professional interests. In retrospect, the freedom also allowed them to deconstruct gender roles and clothing, by gaining the ability to ware more masculine clothes representing gender equality. Another impact arose from the implementation of the Equal Pay Act that prohibited sex-based remuneration discernment amid men and women in the matching establishment. The rise of more unisex movements also aided in deconstructing gender duties by articulating their interest through fashion, which went contrary to traditional panaches of the past decades. Consequently, it was liberating for fashion, as well as promoting gender equality, as clothing did not have to proclaim women as loudly as before the Women’s Liberation Movement was established.
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