Krista Kurt
CUNY, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
HIS 127
Professor Fred Bilenkis
05/18/2025
Let’s explore the impact of the women’s movements during the 1960s that played a major role in the Civil Rights Movement and led to passing The Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which were supposed to be protections against labor and pay discrimination towards women that were written into legislature. These movements also led to The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) of 1975 which guaranteed women the right to their own bank accounts, credit lines and economic prowess without being discriminated against for their marital status and of course their sex/gender. This was considered the second wave of feminism in American women’s history which honestly is a little shocking considering the first wave of feminism is believed to have started in 1848- which was over 112 years prior to the feminist movements of the 1960s (Simply Psychology, 2024). First wave feminists of the mid to late 1800s were still forced to wait until the 1920s to be granted the right to vote, which is when the movement dwindled down and eventually lost its momentum. Most likely due to the Great Depression and economic crisis during this era, on top of a 72-year long grueling fight for the right to vote, women were most likely too exhausted and exasperated to continue the fight. Off topic here but it seems to be a pattern that during every revolutionary movement, the government creates economic crisis intentionally to defeat the people who need to rebel against the oppressive systems the most, such as marginalized communities and women, but I digress. And so, due to famine and sickness, the first wave feminist movement halted, but they passed the torch to the next generations which ended up being the second wave of feminism in the 1960s. After one giant wave crashes onto the shore leaving the ocean calm without movement, just for a little while, we know that eventually another giant wave will come.
Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me”, a pop song of 1963 that became the embodiment of second wave feminism during the Civil Rights Movement, was considered a radically political song, especially since her prior hit songs such as “It’s My Party” and “Judy’s Turn to Cry” were inherently misogynistic, male centered and preoccupied with the male gaze (NPR, 2019). This drastic change in song themes was an indicator of women’s desperation for not only financial independence but just overall agency over their lives free from marriage or men. Another song we can look to as an indicator of what the women’s movements of the 1960s represented was Aretha Franklin’s “Respect”, which was initially released on Otis Redding’s third album in 1965, but Aretha switched out the gender roles of the song making it one of the most important feminist anthems for the second wave feminist movement of the 1970s. This is what ultimately led to women seeing their selves as more than wives (which in most cases just ended up being glorified sex work and indentured servitude), mothers, kindergarten teachers, prostitutes, secretaries to a handsy male boss (that they were forced to let sexually assault them in order to keep their jobs) and maids.
These feminist movements of the 1960s that fought against traditional patriarchal norms where women had to be married to own property or open a bank account, where sexual assault especially by a husband, (or sometimes even a boss/employer), wasn’t even considered a crime and more than likely resulted in more consequences for women if they spoke up, were ultimately necessary to facilitate changes in reducing not only economic but also social and political discrimination against women (The Establishment Responds, p. 22-23, 2012).
Based on the oppressive systems against women that we see in other countries across the globe, such as North Korea and Afghanistan, many studies theorize how the women’s movement of the 1960s in the United States was able to accomplish so much in comparison to women in other countries (The Establishment Responds, 2012). It’s evident that other sociopolitical factors, such as the Black Panthers movement, anti-war movements, anti-capitalist movements and the movements for gay rights/ LGBTQ communities, were all a major contributing factor to the large impact and influence that second wave feminism had on legislature in the 1970s. Without this diversity and intersectionality, it is argued that the women’s movements of the 1960s in America might not have had as much momentum and a lot of the legislature that was fought for might not even have been in existence today. This tells us that women alone most likely would not have succeeded in getting the Equal Pay Act or The Equal Credit Opportunity Act passed into legislature if this diversity, equity and inclusion of these movements did not exist.
Now before we do a deeper dive into the second wave of feminism, (pun intended), and whether or not the Equal Pay Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act actually achieved what women intended it to, since we mentioned how culturally the music was representative of these feminist movements let’s discuss the fashion trends that also told us a story of the political climate during this era. According to the short documentary, “The Ultimate Fashion History: The 1960s”, the mini skirt became one of the most radical, trending and iconic pieces of fashion ever in women’s history.
The mini skirt represented women’s liberation, death to traditional roles and values placed on women of past generations, the end of modesty and policing of women’s bodies (which is a form of agency especially during those times), radical rebellion against social norms and embodying women’s sexual prowess instead of shaming, hiding or devaluing it. This is also a pivotal point in the “Revolution of Love” during the 1960s because women felt they had more sexual freedom and weren’t obligated to subscribe to the older generations’ religious mantra that “sex before marriage would banish you to hell for eternity”. Men in the 1960s equally enjoyed the miniskirts and this newfound era of sexual exploration, even though some may have reluctantly denied it I’m sure, since today even in 2025 we still have men bashing women for their attire or sexual choices.
All these aspects of the women’s movements during the 1960s and the second wave of feminism in American women’s history were quite profound. First wave feminists crawled so second wave feminists could walk- and let’s just say that second wave feminists walked so third and fourth wave feminists could run. Of course, nothing is perfect and there are some discrepancies and loopholes surrounding The Equal Pay Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and gender wage gap issues that persist and exist in present times. However, although we can scrutinize the flaws of this piece of legislature, we also must pay homage to how necessary and important second wave feminism was to American women’s agency.
The issues that still arise despite this legislature being passed officially in the 1970s doesn’t negate the massive cultural, economic and political impact that this movement had on American women for generations to come. Second wave feminism might have been arguably one of the most influential waves of feminism that we have ever had in recent American history.
Unfortunately, few historians believe that The Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act succeeded in accomplishing what it was intended to, which was to decrease the wage gap and wealth disparity amongst the two sexes (Bailey, Martha J.; Helgerman, Thomas; Stuart, Bryan Andrew, 2023). Based on estimates and data collected from the Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Labor, among full-time workers women’s median income and wages remained at only 60% of what men earned- even 15 years after this legislation was passed. The Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the 1963 Civil Rights Act has been a weak doctrine in counteracting occupational segregation, (such as pay discrepancies amongst nurses and teachers that tend to be female dominated fields vs construction workers and trades that tend to be male dominated fields), pay inequalities that arise from different job titles or jobs not within a typical woman’s capability, (again male dominated fields that require more strength than is physically possible for the average woman which in itself is discriminatory- and a bit unfair), pay inequalities that also arise from nepotism and promotions- or lack thereof,
(also proving that your employer is not promoting you due to your sex/gender can become a subjective civil litigation of semantics where it’s your employer’s word against yours- and they can simply argue you were a lousy employee in their defense), and the “comparable worth” of women to men in the workforce which inherently concludes that men’s labor is more valuable and so their compensation should be reflective of such. Although The Equal Credit Opportunity Act gave women the ability to open bank accounts and own property or make credit required purchases, (such as cars, businesses, etc.), without being married and was probably the most important piece of legislature regarding women’s agency, to this day many adult film entertainers/porn stars or women involved in sex work (stripping, escorting, etc) cannot open bank accounts due to discrimination against their line of work. Again, this goes back to what was mentioned above on how patriarchy creates occupational segregation amongst women and men leading to other forms of employment discrimination, socioeconomic ostracization and wage gap issues that persist amongst the sexes.
It is evident that we still have a long way to go as a society in pushing back against patriarchy, misogyny and women being seen as equals instead of property, commodities or inferiors in both cultural and political spheres. Nonetheless, the women’s movements of the 1960s were nothing short of amazing and deserve incredible honor and credence for their sacrifices and hard work. There were women getting arrested and killed by police to protest my right to even be studying in the field of forensic psychology at a college today and so their efforts were not committed in vain. We can acknowledge the work that still needs to be done while also acknowledging how much work has been done so far.
Second wave feminism was a major step towards agency for women and created many of the freedoms we take for granted today. In North Korea women are not allowed to wear denim jeans, only dresses. In Afghanistan women and girls aren’t even allowed to go outside without being accompanied by a man nor are they allowed to speak in public. They aren’t even allowed to listen to music, which is devasting considering the major sociopolitical impacts music has on the collective consciousness and how powerful it has been in many Civil Rights movements- especially the women’s rights movement of the 1960’s in America. Considering how many women across the globe are still just fighting for the same agency we have in America due to second wave feminism; it is vital to keep the fight going and take on the torch that has been passed to us. We owe it to those who stood up in the face of adversity even when it put their lives in danger. Thank you to all who risked their lives for me to even be able to write this paper today.
References
Bailey, Martha J.; Helgerman, Thomas; Stuart, Bryan Andrew (2023) : How the 1963 Equal Pay Act and 1964 Civil Rights Act Shaped the Gender Gap in Pay, IZA Discussion Papers, No. 16700, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Giugni, M., Bosi, L., Scharloth, J., Fahlenbrach, K., Wong, L., & Klimke, M. (2012). The Impact of Protest Movements on the Establishment: Dimensions, Models, and Approaches. In The Establishment Responds (pp. 17–28). Palgrave Macmillan US. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230119833_2
Guy-Evans, Olivia, MSc, McLeod, Saul (2024). Four Waves Of Feminism Explained. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/four-waves-feminism.html
Nelson, M. (1977). Your credit equality : the Equal Credit Opportunity Act / Margaret Nelson and Laurie Johnson. University of Wisconsin–Extension.
Ulaby, Neda. (2019). ‘You Don’t Own Me,’ A Feminist Anthem With Civil Rights Roots, Is All About Empathy. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2019/06/26/735819094/lesley-gore-you-dont-own-me-american-anthem
