The Women's Rights Movement

1476 Words6 Pages
The 20th century was marked by vast amounts of social change. It was a time that men walked on the moon, women entered the workforce, and new technological advancements altered the culture of America forever. One of the most impactful bringers of change were the ladies behind the Women's Rights Movement. Additionally, in the counterculture movement of the 1960s and ‘70s, youth culture was marked with a period that championed the principles of liberation and forming a community of “the people”: all people regardless of race, religion, or gender. These social movements altered the political, social, and economic aspects of American life in order to bring about equality for all in the face of injustice. Although women were granted the right to…show more content…
For example, the General Federation of Women's Clubs predominantly focused on uncontroversial matters: planting trees, building parks and hospitals, and advocating for schools, libraries, and settlement houses. These clubs also had a massive following, with as many as one million members by 1917. African American women formed the National Association of Colored Women, where they addressed their concerns about segregation and lynching. Women’s groups as a whole emphasized the safety of women and child labor, increased regulation in the food and drug industries, and the introduction of “mother’s pensions” to help widowed or abandoned mothers with young children. These organizations were fundamental to the formation of many legislative decisions such as the formation of Social Security and the Children’s Bureau in the Labor Department…show more content…
Part of the movement’s popularity stems from the baby-boomer generation mass numbers in comparison to those of their parent’s. After soldiers returned home at the end of WWII, there was almost an instantaneous rise in American births that were never seen before. In 1946, there was a 20% increase in births with roughly 3 million born in that year alone. Until 1964, when number began to stabilize, as many as 4 million additional babies were born each year. 76.4 million children born in such a small window of time caused these “baby boomers” to make up 40% of the American population. This surge of families in the country, as well as the economic prosperity of a post-war era, promoted the normalcy of suburban living. By 1960, one of three families were living in the suburbs. This period of history was also marked with a heavy consumer culture, with many products targeting the masses of boomer children (“Baby
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