Unit 9 Final Assignment: A movement that is changing the world
Shadrach Diamond
Kaplan University

SS 310-06
April 25, 2012

The 1960s was a decade filled with changes that had an effect on the nation and the world like none other. During this period, Civil Rights movements took place, the country was at war, a U.S. president was assassinated, and humans walked on the moon. Music and television were creating a completely different culture. For the first time a presidential election was broadcast on TV giving millions of Americans the ability see this event, and the Beatles were influencing the youth with their magical music and lyrics. The events that occurred in this decade not only touched this planet as a whole, but it also made an impression on my personal life. The city I live in saw a big change during the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s. New Orleans, Louisiana, has a large black population who shared the same dream that Martin Luther King spoke about at the Capital. “On August 28, 1963, more than 250,000 people from across the nation came together in Washington, D.C. to peacefully demonstrate their support for the passage of a meaningful civil rights bill, an end to racial segregation in schools and the creation of jobs for the unemployed” (Hansan, n.d.). Martin Luther King Jr. was a pioneer for the Civil Rights movement who encouraged other people to follow him and help change the country’s laws. Because of the advancements in the Civil Rights movement for racial equality, other movements were learning from it and gaining momentum in their own fight. “The women’s liberation movement was perhaps the most radical ‘sixties’ political and social movement, and only in the early 1970s did it develop national attention and broad support” (Farber, 1994). This movement brought many developments such as the Equal Pay Act and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Betty Friedan wrote a book that was published in 1963 called “The Feminine Mystique” that brought about one of the first changes in this movement. In this book she connected with the thousands of women who read it by defining this “mystique” as the worthlessness they feel in a culture that forces them to be dependent on their husbands in most aspects of their lives. “Through her findings, Friedan hypothesized that women are victims of a false belief system that requires them to find identity and meaning in their lives through their husbands and children” (American Writers, n.d.). In the beginning stages, the movement was composed mostly of unhappy housewives, but the ones to lead the revolution would be women college students and movement activists. These younger women in part had the courage and faith to make this movement work because they grew up in a time when it was common to see and hear the rights of people being changed. However, not every woman in the country was in accord with what these women were trying to accomplish. Many women in the early 1970s opposed the women’s liberation movement because they felt it did not recognize or respect their lives, and feared that the economic consequences of a gender-blind society in which a man’s legal and moral responsibility to support his wife and children would be weakened (Farber, 1994). They also feared being sent off to war or having to work in dangerous environments. These women were happy with the role that society wanted them to play and did not want to change. Change, however, was inevitable and the women’s liberation movement succeeded in ending legal discrimination against women.
The women’s liberation movement affected me personally as a man, by taking away some of the responsibility of having to be the head of the household. My wife now has the opportunity and responsibility to help increase our finances if we want to live a certain lifestyle. She is able to apply for a job at any company she wants to, and would be legally entitled to the same wages that her male coworker who has the same qualifications receives. Although, there are some jobs that are predominantly done my men, any woman has the right to be able to apply and train for it.
Commercial diving is a career that is predominantly male. I have worked for two commercial dive companies in Gulf of Mexico and have only encountered four female divers. There are 32 of us working on the vessel I am on now, and there aren’t any women. Commercial diving can be a very tough job, but that does not mean that a woman cannot do it. Our culture and society may be in part to blame for the lack of women in “men’s jobs”.
Gender-segregated roles have been around for a very long time. The people who were raised with this mindset are still alive today helping raise grandchildren, and whether purposely or not, they pass down this way of life. “These stereotypes are ingrained in our society and are passed along from our parents and continue with our school teachers and guidance counselors, all of whom tend to steer females into ‘pink collar’ classes and careers” (Olson, 2010). These stereotypes promote women to choose jobs that are of less power in an organization and that pay less. Although there has been an increase in women becoming lawyers, doctors, and holding other powerful positions, there has not been much of an increase in more technical jobs such as commercial diving.
If the feminist movement had never occurred, my life would not be as it is today. My wife would be unhappy because she has so much ambition to be successful. If the wife is unhappy, there is a good chance that the husband is also unhappy. Without the laws that were passed because of this movement, she would not be able to move ahead in her career. She is studying to get a Master’s degree from the University of New Orleans and has dreams that not even she can see an ending to. Since her life and mine are connected, whatever heights she reaches, I will be able to enjoy the victory with her.
If the movement had never occurred and none of it existed, then we would not know any different and the world would be a normal place without these rights for women. My wife would probably be heavily sedated on prescription drugs because the doctors would say that she has “penis envy” or an “intense striving for masculinity”, and I would have to have a minimum of three jobs. I believe that if women had not fought for these rights during the 1960s and 1970s, they would have fought for them in the future. It is difficult to see the United States without these rights, especially if all the other movements would have still taken place.
The feminist movement can be divided into three segments, each wave having its own advancements. The first wave began in the late 18th century, which protected the woman’s right to vote. The second wave was after World War II during the 1960s and 1970s. The third wave was just a couple of decades ago and expanded to the global community. The third-wave feminism takes a global perspective not only by attempting to colonize developing nations with Western practices, but by encouraging women to start a change, to gain power and equality within their own cultures and communities (Head, n.d.).
In the United States, women have rights that other countries may never show their people. In some Middle Eastern countries women cannot vote or even drive cars. Although there has been significant progress in women's rights around the globe such as with better laws, political participation, education and income, the real problem that has held women down for centuries remain (Ward, 2008). Even here in the U.S. where women have a significant amount of rights, some people think that the feminist movement is still not finished creating equality between men and women.
Patricia Ireland (1997), who was the President of the National Organization for Women (NOW) from 1991 through 2001, says:
At a time when women are astronauts and truck drivers, it is hard to believe that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee women the same rights as men. For most women, equality is a bread-and-butter issue. Women are still paid less on the job and charged more for everything from dry cleaning to insurance. The value of a woman's unpaid work in the home is often not taken into account in determining divorce settlements and pension benefits. When women turn to the courts to right these wrongs, they are at a distinct disadvantage because of what has and hasn't happened to the Constitution.
The United States is still making progress with its Civil Rights laws. As generations pass and cultures change, these laws will continue to change with them. People will continue to fight here in this country and around the world until the day comes that we all are colorblind and gender disoriented, and we realize that every person is different but equal.

References
American Writers, (n.d.). A journey through history. C-SPAN. Retrieved April 26, 2012, from http://www.americanwriters.org/works/feminine.asp

Farber, D. (1994). The age of great dreams: America in the 1960s, 1, 239-261. New York, NY: Hill & Wang.

Hansan, J. E. (n.d.). March on Washington, DC for jobs and freedom August 28, 1963. The Social Welfare History Project. Retrieved April 25, 2012, from http://www.socialwelfarehistory.com/eras/march-on-washington/

Head, T. (n.d.). Third-wave feminism. Civil Liberties. Retrieved April 27, 2012, from http://civilliberty.about.com/od/gendersexuality/p/third_wave.htm

Ireland, P. (1997). Women's Less Than Full Equality Under The U.S. Constitution. Perspectives. Retrieved April 28, 2012, from http://www.now.org/issues/economic/cea/ireland.html

Olson, J. R. (2010). Gender stereotypes impact women in the workplace. Career Thought Leaders. Retrieved April 27, 2012, from http://www.careerthoughtleaders.com/blog/gender-stereotypes-impact-women-in-the-workplace/

Ward, O. (2008). Ten worst countries for women. The Star. Retrieved April 28, 2012, from http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/326354--ten-worst-countries-for-women