Item Details

USA, Varied, 1970s, Softwraps

VG

[2^nd Wave Feminism] Small Archive 1960s-80s Booklets WOMEN’S RIGHTS Liberation Racism Economics

This collection contains 8 original publications dating between 1969-1985. All in good+ to Very good condition. None are ex-library or marked-up.

Feminism Wave Two: Dismantling the System (1960s-1980s)

The second wave, fueled by the Civil Rights Movement and the fight against the Vietnam War, emerged in the 1960s. It challenged not just legal barriers but also the very cultural norms that perpetuated gender inequality. Works like Betty Friedan’s “The Feminine Mystique” and Simone de Beauvoir’s “The Second Sex” ignited a rethinking of how society places limitations on women. 

The second wave’s impact on the workplace was undeniable. Women entered the workforce in record numbers, and legal protections like Title IX (prohibiting discrimination in education programs receiving federal funds) opened doors to previously male-dominated fields. Maternity leave policies began to be implemented, though with significant variations across companies and countries.

The fight for equal pay became a central tenet of the second-wave movement. The Equal Pay Act of 1963, a landmark victory, made it illegal to pay women less than men for equal work. Second-wave feminists also tackled sexual harassment, a previously unaddressed issue in the workplace. They argued that such behavior created a hostile work environment and demanded policies to hold companies accountable.

Some key wins included the passage of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on sex, among other factors. In 1965, the Supreme Court case Griswold v. Connecticut established a right to privacy that extended to a woman’s access to contraception. This decision laid the groundwork for the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling in 1973, which legalized abortion nationwide.

1. EDWARDS, Alison Rape, Racism, and the White Women's Movement: An Answer to Susan Brownmiller. Chicago: Sojourner Truth Organization, ca. 1975. Wraps. 31 p. Very good.
2. The Racist Use of Rape and the Rape Charge. A Statement to the Women's Movement From a Group of Socialist Women (Louisville, Ky: Socialist Women’s Caucus of Louisville, KY.) ca 1975. Wraps. 17 pages.
3. The Traffic in Women and Other Essays on feminism / Emma Goldman ; With a biography by Alix Kates Shulman; New York : Times Change Press 1970, ©1970. Seventh printing. 63 pages : photographs.
4. Socialism and the Fight for Women's Rights by LINDA JENNESS. Published by Pathfinder Press, New York, 1976. Wraps. 16 pages.
5. Toward Economic Justice for Women: A national agenda for change; Publisher. Institute for Policy Studies ; Publication Date. [1985] ; wraps.
6. Women in the Global Factory. by: Fuentes, Annette; Ehrenreich, Barbara. Publication date: 1983. Institute for New Communications, South End Press. Wraps. 64 pages.
7. Kokopeli, Bruce and Lakey, George; Leadership for Change: Towards a Feminist Model. New Society Publishers, Philadelphia, United States of America, 1978.
8. George Novack. REVOLUTIONARY DYNAMICS OF WOMEN'S LIBERATION, Merit Publishers, NY 1969. First printing.