In the essay, Feminism’s Second Wave: The Opening Salvos, author Flora Davis examines the unsung achievements of feminist activist who were at the forefront of the “second wave” of feminism. Davis recounts the battle stewardess’ waged against unfair airlines policy which discriminated against them based on sex, marital status and age.
The feminist movement of the nineteenth century was known as the “first wave of the feminist movement. Its mission was to eliminate legal obstacles which constrained women’s ability to operate within society independently of men. The first wave was successfully in securing women’s right to vote as well as the ability to own property, but did little to transform traditional gender roles and perceptions of female capabilities. The lingering issues of female equality which remain unresolved after the first wave gave rise to the…show more content… Roads and Collins decided to push for legislative reform once efforts failed at the airline bargaining table. Roads and Collins were met with significant challenges once they decide to go public with their concerns. The perception of their lofty careers rooted in male fantasy often led to their concerns being trivialize by men in congress and in the media. Despite the indignation of having their crusade belittle in public the stewardess continued to search for avenues to administer reform. As it tends to happen so often in history, help revealed itself in the most unlikeliest of forms, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, EEOC. The EEOC was a federal agency charged with the enforcement of new laws banning sex discrimination by employers. The EEOC was a direct product of the civil rights movements. The stewardess were viewed as privileged members of society and they were not the expected client base for the EEOC. Despite initial doubts to the legitimately of the stewardess’ case the EEOC staff was soon on bored with their crusade against the