The United States passed several laws during the 1960's and 1970's, aimed at providing equal rights for women. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 requires equal pay for men and women doing the same work. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits job discrimination on the basis of sex as well as on the basis of color, race, national origin, and religion. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 bans discrimination on the basis of sex by schools and colleges receiving federal funds. This law applies to discrimination in all areas of school activity, including admissions, athletics, and educational programs. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act took effect in 1975. It prohibits banks, stores, and other organizations from discriminating on the basis of sex or marital status in making loans or granting credit.
After passing many laws, women gained political and economic power in the United States. Even now, women's power has continued to increase in wages, politics, education, and labor force. Women who were full-time, year-round workers earned 74 cents in 1997 for every dollar earned by men -- a significant improvement over the 57 cents they received in 1973. The percentage of wage and salary recipients who were women increased from 32 percent in 1947 to 48 percent in 1997. Twenty-one percent of all state legislators in 1995 were women. A total of 1536 women in 1995 were serving in state legislatures; 845 were Democrats, 675 Republicans, four Independents, and 12 non-partisan. A record of 84 women held statewide elected office in 1995. In 1994, 72 women held statewide elected office. In the United States, the percentage of employed women rose from 28 percent in 1940 to 57 percent in 1989. Women have obviously taken note that their efforts are achieving higher and better things for the female species. By being more involved in matters of power, women have proven to be a positive asset in the world. This has given them respect and pride to be a woman of any kind, whether a doctor, teacher, or mother. As they have grown, and continued to grow, women keep proving that it is not just "a man's world" anymore.
Feminists achieved their goal of political and economic power as a group. But as time has gone by, we have reached the third wave, the radical one. Feminism, as one concept, has slowly diminished as women have received very diverse definitions for feminism and its goals. "We can't even agree on what a 'Feminist' is...Feminism in America has come to mean anything you like, honey. There are as many definitions of feminism as there are feminists, some of my sisters say, with a chuckle. I don't think it's funny," says Carmen Vasquez, Towards A Revolutionary Ethic. Neither should we. There doesn't seem to be much humor in the fact that feminism is a lost word. Each added and different definitions add to both feminists' and anti-feminists' goals. For, the various labels associated with feminism range from "N.O.W Feminists," which fight for gender equality, to "Separatists," which are known to be anti-male and pro-gay.
Instead of other definitions, feminism is often identified with the radical and extreme definition when mentioned. The word Feminism, known to many as the real F-word, is that of adult rated jargon. Women see it as a mixture between fighting for homosexuality and a type of gender-identity disorder. They hope that the reputation of the F-word drives mothers to vaccinate their kids, and start to reeducate them. Many women believe true feminism was a healthy outlet, which taught women to fight for a general concern as a group.
The confusion with what definition to believe of feminism is another fighting battle for women today. Many women feel they are not represented at all by what some feminists are stating and what others are; instead, they choose to be neutral and keep their distance from the subject. Colleen McEneany proclaims that Americans should not be ashamed to call themselves a feminist because of the label it has gotten. She writes, "Rush Limbaugh humiliates feminists with the term "Femi-Nazi", old farts claim feminists are male-hating women, the Religious Right is convinced feminists exist to spread lesbian love, the National Organization for Women is too often mistaken for representing all feminists, crotchety old men think feminists are the end all to June Cleaver and Heaven forbid women want to work outside the home. The list goes on. Everyone bashes feminists except those who self proclaim to be a feminist. Even the hypocritical closet feminist cringers bash feminists. So, okay, perhaps fearing the label of "feminist" is warranted... if you [care] what ignorant people prejudge with." This woman realizes that the word feminism carries many different and negative stereotypes, regardless of its truth-value. McEneany makes a point that women are not sure how to define what feminism is, so they do not call themselves a feminist.
Since women no longer want to be labeled wrongly, or depicted as a type of feminist, women have been venturing out on their own. Instead of banning with other women to achieve a unanimous goal, many women have been inspired to accomplish desires on their own. For example, Hunter Tylo, who was hired to play a vixen on a late-night soap opera, was canned in March of 1996 after telling producers she was pregnant. Tylo sued Spelling Entertainment Group and Spelling Television Inc., claiming breach of contract, wrongful termination, and pregnancy discrimination. Tylo was appalled that a woman had to choose between her family and a career. She wanted to prove to women that they should not fear losing one to the other. "All I wanted to hear (from the jury) was that pregnancy is not a bona fide occupational (dis)qualification," a delighted Tylo told reporters outside the Los Angeles Superior Court. "I wanted to hear that yes, indeed, I could, and can do the job,". Hunter Tylo took the initiative to receive justice for being treated unequal, because it was important to her.
Hunter Tylo was not the only woman who was inspired by an event to achieve a goal on her own. Many women around the world believe more every day that they have the power to make their aspirations reality. Many women have been wary at first to take the first leap to do as they please. Day by day, they become inspired by their mothers, heroines, and often people in the public eye. As the world encourages women to be "all that they can be," feminism becomes something of the past. It disappears more as women realize their own potential.
Works cited
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2. Epstein, Cynthia Fuchs. "Woman." The World Book Encyclopedia. 1986 ed. Vol. 21. (316-321)
3. Giele, Janet. "Women's movement." World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia. 1997.
4. McEneany, Colleen. "Suffrage Timeline." Feminism at Feminist Utopia-Feminism and Activism Resources. Available: http://www.amazoncastle.com/feminism/sufftime.htm (5 February 2000).
5. McEneany, Colleen. Quote. Feminism at Feminist Utopia-Feminism and Activism Resources. Available: http://www.amazoncastle.com/feminism/feminism.htm. (5 February 2000).
6. McEneany, Colleen. "The Label." Feminism at Feminist Utopia-Feminism and Activism Resources. Available: http://www.amazoncastle.com/feminism/femessay.htm (5 February 2000).
7. McEneany, Colleen. "Feminism Votes." Feminism at Feminist Utopia-Feminism and Activism Resources. Available: http://www.amazoncastle.com/feminism/femvote.htm (5 February 2000).
8. Reuters. GO.com. "Hunter Tylo wins Melrose Court Battle." Mr. Showbiz News. Available: http://mrshowbiz.go.com/archive/news/Todays_Stories/971222/tylo122297.html (6 February 2000). 22 December 1997.
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