The Women’s Movement

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello everybody, and welcome back to OMG the seventies. Before
we get started, I have to apologize for my voice,
the occasional sniffle, maybe a little bit of a cough.
I have a terrible cold, but I'm going to try
to get through this. Today. We are going to talk
today about the women's movement in the nineteen seventies. It

(00:25):
was a decade of Bell Bottom's questionable facial hair choices
and a cultural upheaval that shook things up in ways
nobody quite predicted. And right in the thick of it
was the women's movement, a force that was both exhilarating and,
let's be honest, occasionally bewildering. Now I wasn't exactly at

(00:50):
the forefront of the protests, more of a sideline observer,
sipping my lukewarm instant coffee and watching the whirlwind from
a safe distance. But even from my comfy armchair, I
could feel the ground shifting beneath my feet. It wasn't
just about equal pay, although that was certainly a major
bone of contention. It was about a size mixed shift

(01:12):
in the way women viewed themselves and their place in society.
It felt like a dam was breaking, and the floodwaters
were changing everything. The previous decade had been the rise
of second wave feminism, with women demanding equal rights and
challenging traditional gender rules. The seventies, however, saw this movement

(01:35):
explode into the mainstream consciousness. Suddenly, the conversation around women's
issues was everywhere, in magazines, on television, and in the
very fabric of everyday life. Remember those groundbreaking TV shows
like Mary Tyler Moore and The Mary Richards Show. Mary

(01:58):
Richards was a single, independent woman making her way in
the world, a concept that was revolutionary back then. She
was in a damsel in distress. She was a strong,
capable woman who knew her own mind, and that was
a powerful image for women to see to aspire to.
There was a quiet rebellion in her perfectly quaffed hair

(02:21):
and neatly pressed pantsuits. Of course, not everyone was thrilled
with this new wave of female empowerment. The backlash was
as loud and often as ridiculous as the movement itself.
The image of the burning feminist was constantly parated in
the media. This character was, of course, wildly inaccurate. The

(02:44):
vast majority of women weren't actually setting fire to their undergarments,
though I did witness someone try to burn a polyester
leisure suit once, and let's just say the resulting smoke
alarm was a fitting soundtrack to the decade's absurdity. However,
the bra burning myth was potent enough to derail the
conversation for many who felt threatened by the changes women

(03:07):
were demanding. The idea was far more frightening to those
who benefited from the existing power structures than any actual
burning bra. Ever was it was an effective, if absurd,
scare tactic. The reality was much more nuanced. The women's
movement was a diverse coalition of women with differing backgrounds, perspectives,

(03:30):
and goals. There were disagreements about strategy, tactics, and even
the very definition of feminism itself. The struggle for equal
rights wasn't a monolithic march, but more of a lively,
often chaotic debate and a collective push towards progress. Imagine
a congo line, but instead of synchronized steps, it's more

(03:54):
like everyone dancing to their own beat, yet somehow still
collectively moving forward. One of the most significant achievements of
the women's movement of the seventies was the push for
legal equality. The Equal Rights Amendment, though ultimately failing to
achieve ratification, brought the issue of gender equality to the

(04:17):
forefront of the national conversation. While it did not succeed
at the time, its impact remains undeniable. The efforts to
pass the era served as a catalyst for further progress
and change, setting the stage for future victories in the
fight for gender equality. Even though it ultimately felt short

(04:39):
of ratification, it ignited a powerful conversation, a conversation that
continues to resonate today. The movement also had a profound
impact on the workplace. Women began to enter previously male
dominated professions in greater numbers. Although they still faced significant

(05:01):
barriers such as gender pay gap, lack of promotions, and
the sheer societal expectations for women to be mothers first
and career minded professionals only second, they started breaking through
those glass ceilings with a determination that was hard to ignore.
Then there's a topic of reproductive rights, another battleground of

(05:24):
the era. The fight for access to contraception and safe
legal abortion became a central focus of the women's movement.
This was a deeply personal and intensely emotional issue that
sparked passionate debates. The fight was not only about access
to healthcare, but also about women's control over their own

(05:46):
body and lives. It continues to be a critical issue today,
highlighting just how much ground still needs to be gained.
The seventies also witnessed a rise in women's literature. Authors
like Adrian rich, Alice Walker, and Tony Morrison started gaining prominence,

(06:07):
giving voice to experiences and perspectives that had long been
ignored or marginalized. Their work explored themes of feminine identity, relationships,
and the complexities of womanhood. It wasn't just about changing laws,
it was about changing the narrative. The cultural changes that

(06:28):
impacted women weren't solely driven by organized activism. They also
came through everyday actions and shifts in attitudes. The rise
of single parenthood households, increased female partia, sorry participation in
the workforce, and the growing acceptance of women in positions

(06:51):
of power, though still scarce, were all visible signs of progress.
It wasn't always easy, and they were set back, frustrations
and a whole lot of awkward moments along the way.
The overall trajectory was one of undeniable progress. Looking back,

(07:12):
the women's movement of the seventies wasn't a perfect, unified entity.
It had its internal contradictions and its share of messy moments,
but its impact was monumental. It laid the foundation for
the progress that has been made since then, however far
we still have to go. It was a decade of

(07:36):
incredible change and its attestament to the power of collective action,
even if that collective action sometimes looked like a particularly stylish,
yet slic slightly disheveled congo line. It was a complicated, messy,
and occasionally hilarious era, but it played a pivotal role

(07:57):
in the way women and society at large view gender dynamics.
And that's a legacy worth remembering and acknowledging. And let's
not forget the fabulous pantsuits. Those were a definite win.
They're having to come back now, who's laughing now? On

(08:19):
the next episode, we are going to talk about from
rebellion to mainstream. We're going to talk the sixties ended
with a bang, or perhaps more accurately, a hazy, slightly
out of focused photograph of a tie die clad throng.
So we're going to talk about counterculture. The vibrant, often

(08:40):
chaotic movement of social and political rebellion, and we're going
to touch on Woodstock, We're going to talk about civil
rights struggles and more of the seventies counterculture and what
that means to America today. So make sure you all

(09:01):
tune in to OMG the Seventies, where we talk about
everything the seventies. And I've got to say thank you
all so much for your patients with my voice today.
It was awful. It's kind of like the seventies pretest anthem.
My voice just didn't want to cooperate, so I appreciate

(09:23):
it and make sure that you tune in next time.
We're going to talk about more about the spirit of
rebellion and how that's influenced and our world today. So
I look forward to seeing you next time on OMG
the Seventies. Make sure and go back and listen to

(09:44):
our other episodes. They're really fun when we talk about
nineteen seventies decorating and clothes and music and dancing and
afros and crazy hairstyles and all the things. Take care
of y'all, and thank you so much for being here.