The 1960s were a time of change for domestic America. The African-American Civil Rights Movement had sprung change for several minority groups and groups who simply felt like they were not treated as equal. One of these groups was American Women.
At this time, women in America felt as though they were not empowered. It had typically been believed that men were always on top of women. Many wanted change, and thus began a movement.
Some women, however, felt strongly against this movement. A group of opposition to changing women's rights formed, and was headed by Phyllis Schlafly. Phyllis Schlafly was the voice of the opposition to the Women's Rights Movement. She believed that the movement destroyed America's traditional womanhood. Schlafly argued that women already had a good deal - they were protected and provided for by men, and there was no reason to change that. In addition, she supported traditional female roles in American society, such as taking care of the children.
Like many movements in the 1960s, there was an opposition to the rapid change that came about. While there was a general attitude toward wanting change, it is important to remember that not every individual, including many women, were on board with the change at the time.
Phyllis Schlafly is a great example of a counter-revolutionary. When the political climate moves too far in the direction of the extreme right or the extreme left, there is usually a massive shift in the other direction. This leads to people like Phylis Schlafly who, in her specific case, feels like feminists are taking away the options of stay at home mothers. Schlafly proves exactly how fast and how massive the shift towards the left of the political scale rural Americans felt the feminist and similar movements were.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to learn that some of the women were against the movement. In many history classes and discussions, we learn that all women were a part of the Women's Liberation movement, and those women who were against it are often overlooked. It is typically conveyed that the men were against the movement rather than females.
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