How far were the 1960’s a crucial decade for women’s equal rights?
The 1960’s, like most decades in the 20th century had been eventful in terms of getting equal rights for women. The decade saw the return of female radicalism, not seen since the suffrage movement for the vote throughout the early 20th century. Ever since both World Wars, women had been cast aside from jobs and careers and placed back into the role of homemaker while the men went back to their role as breadwinner. The 60’s however, brought a new feel of independence for women socially in terms of sexual behaviour. Politically the era brought great strides in equality within government with the employment of women in the cabinet and other areas of parliament. Economically the 60’s began a series of campaigns for equal pay and respect within the workplace. In terms of its content and how the decade increased women’s equal rights can be debated.
The Contraceptive pill has been proved as a significant influence for women’s equal rights. Seen as the most important medical advance of the 20th century, the contraceptive pill was offered to married women in 1962 and then later extended to all women in 1969. The contraceptive pill instantly changed women’s lives. It gave women the freedom to choose a career over starting a family, the independence to have a full relationship without the risk of pregnancy outside marriage but most of all it gave a significant change in societies’ viewpoint over promiscuity. The overall male view of the pill was that it was inappropriate, and many doctors which was at the time a mostly all male profession advised not to take the pill. An extract from an interview in 1961 with Sir Charles Dodd’s, Britain's leading expert on the drugs contained in the Pill and who headed a research institute at Middlesex Hospital, had said that the pills could have long-term side-effects. He compared a woman's body with a clock mechanism. "Even if you thoroughly understand the mechanism of a clock, provided it is going well it is very much better to leave it alone. To interfere with it if you do not understand it can be disastrous," [1] he said. This source at that time would be offensive to the single woman because it would have seen as an interference or blockade to the right to take up the pill in order to pursue a career. However innocently, the source is warning women that postponing their chances to start a family after a career could have a devastating effect. Looking at the period covered, the contraceptive pill would give the female a degree of autonomy over their reproductive life and allows the women choices to meet males. If the women had fallen pregnant at the time, the choices at the time were very limited. They would have had to have either entered into an unhappy or non-mutual marriage to avoid disrespect both to her and their respected families. Undergo an illegal abortion ( or give the child up for adoption or give birth and become a single parent. This would not have been easy as the social services would not have supported this option in terms of benefits. It might have happened to wealthier families but it would have been held discreet in order to protect the families’ image within the community. It would have affected the right of an education especially at university. If a women had fallen pregnant during the course she would been taken off the course or found it extremely hard to cope with both the baby and education. The pill gave the opportunity to eliminate these options and gave them the opportunity to be on level footing as men in terms of social and sexual life without falling pregnant which at the time was fate-sealing and for those reasons the pill showed how the 60’s was such a crucial time for women’s equal rights.
