Second Wave Feminism.

Overview:

They cut their hair short like men. They arsoned their brazars. They said no to lipstick. The reason for all these demeanors was to stop portraying women as a "object". They were against the objectification of women. They also demanded Co-education and opening of gender studies subject in every universities. And all professions must be opened to women.

Above all, they brought about revolution in culture. A song by Helen Reddy 'I am a woman, hear me roar' was the best. And songs like this appeared on the scene quite quickly.

In Pakistan, women were encouraged by the second wave. They created "Women's Action Forum" (WAF). Theses women burn their dupattas as a symbolic protest against women oppression in 1987. WAF protested again ZIA's islamization in 1983.

Books written in second wave feminism.

1. Coming of the age in Samoa by M. Mead in 1928.

She went and lived among the people of Samoa. And she observed that culture has a leading influence on psycho-sexual development. It means our sexuality preference depends on culture we live in. And it gave birth to the "Nature vs Nurture debate".

2. The second sex by Simon de beauvoir in 1987.

She rejected the assumption that the women oppression is because of private property. Instead she relied on Hegelian philosophy of Master-Slave dialects. She applied this philosophy on gender relations which says that a man always try to impose his will upon women. And by doing so, he depict her as 'other'.

This is the reason of women subjugation and not private property. Furthermore, Motherhood let women riveted (fixed) to her body like an animal and made it possible for men to dominate her and nature.

3. The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing in 1962.

This book said women are not oppressed owing to private property.

These above two books played a key role in diverting a generation of radical women in Europe away from post-war Marxist left and strengthened feminism.

Gloria steinem and her articles: 

She was a revolutionary woman. She performed a social experiment by going to a restaurant. She went there and observed some peculiarities. Formerly, in these restaurants, waitresses were asked to serve as well as flirt with the customers. She observed this and wrote article about it in 1963. In that article she showed the unhappiness of these waitresses. She said, "theses girls are happy while performing their duties but they weep in solitude". After this she became an icon of feminism. Her quotation: "The truth will set you free but first it will piss you off".

The feminist mystique by Betty friedan:

She said in this book that in advertisements working women are showed as recalcitrant while housewives are depicted as happy. She pronounced it wrong and misleading. And said women in homes are unhappy. Furthermore, women are psychological trapped by men. They (women) don't learn science. They don't go to school. So, she said women must shun their private life and participate in public life. She should be a doctor, engineer, writer etc. And on this thought, betty friedan and her colleagues established National Organisation for Women (NOW) in USA.

Because of NOW and feminist movement in general a wave of legal reforms was witnessed from 1963 to 1978 in USA.

following are the legal reforms and supreme courts judgements from 1963 to 1968 in USA.

1. Equal Pay Act in 1963.

2. Griswold vs Connecticut case in 1965.

3. Affirmative action for women in 1967.

4. Sex-segregated ads declared illegal in 1968.

5. Title X in 1970: This was about family planning and health.

6. Reed v Reed case in 1971: Discriminatory language in legal work was banned.

7. Title IX in 1972:

8. Roe vs Wade case in 1973: legalising abortion.

9. Women's Educational Equity Act in 1973.

10.Equal Credit opportunity Act in 1974.

11.US military academies Admit women(1975)

12. Pregnancy discrimination Act in 1978. No discrimination in jobs or other things when a woman is pregnant.

These laws did not go unchallenged. Many "pro life"(against abortion) anti-feminist activists started movement against these laws. In 1978 Equal right act was not ratified owing to opposition of anti-feminist supporters. This law said that there should be no discrimination on the basis of sex. These anti-feminist rejected this act on no any solid grounds. Anti feminist movement was also led by a women, P. Schlafly. This defeat brought demoralization upon many feminists. They thought they had lost the momentum which was strated in 1963. In this period, after 1978, Right-wing politics, R. Regan, got dominance and left-wing politics (feminism ) ebbed away.

But this was also the period, 1978 onwards, when Radical feminism got its birth. Although, radical feminists were present earlier, but they got vigour in this period. 

Books by radical feminist:

1.The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer(1970).

She said in this book that like animals who are castrated not to produce babies, women's personality has also been castrated in order to make her a docile creature to fulfil men's sexual desire. 

2. Sexual Politics by kate Millet (1970)

 - Personal is political. 

 - she looked at the work of various European writers and argued that these authors discussed sex in patriarchal way. And she said that social relation of power b/w genders play a role in their private lives. 

3. The dialect of sex by Shulamith firestone. 

She said that male domination is biologically based and as such existed long before the institution of private property. 

She said that men are unable to love. They must degrade the woman they make love to. They cannot simultaneously respect and be sexually attracted to women. Furthermore, pregnancy is barbaric according to her because this makes a woman weak and vulnerable. And this is a point when men get dominance. Men should give birth. If this is not possible then artificial gestation should be used.

4. Fear of flying by Erica Jong:

Female literature played an important role in giving woman a greater voice in determining their career, families, relationships, and direction of their lives. 

Decade of 1980s and Collapse of 2nd wave:

In this period a lady named Andrea Rita Dworkin who wrote ten books launched a campaign against pornography. Her book name is "Pornography: men possessing women". In it she said "pornography is promoting rape culture". 

She launched a campaign named as "take back the nights". In it she encouraged women to come out of their homes at night also. Formerly women were intimadated to come out at nights. 

She said that marriage as an institution developed from rape practice. In her book "Intercourse" she said that Intercourse is a pure formal expression of men's contempt for women. 

And from this a new phrase came: "All sex is rape. And all men are rapist"

This wave died when sex-positivist people stood against anti-pornography movement. They supoorted it. Because in 2017 total money earned by pornography industry was $97 bn.