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Support for Women's Liberation on the Left, New and Old

Carol Giardina

in Freedom for Women: Forging the Women's Liberation Movement, 1953-1970

This chapter traces the help extended by the Left to weomen's liberation movements. The term “Old Left” is used for describing Marxist-inspired parties and individuals and the term “New Left” refers ... More

This chapter traces the help extended by the Left to weomen's liberation movements. The term “Old Left” is used for describing Marxist-inspired parties and individuals and the term “New Left” refers to the modernization of the group. The New Left gave much help and support to the Women's Liberation Movement. The women who commenced the Women's Liberation Movement were influenced by Old Left parties. The chapter brings together examples from lives of radical women and discusses how the Left parties affected their thought flow. The chapter also talks about the organizational help extended by the Old Left parties to the women's liberation movements. Next the chapter studies the presence of Women's Liberation pioneers in the New Left parties and the institutional help extended by the New Left to women liberation groups. Men on the Left front who extended their full support to women during the movement also get a mention in the chapter.Less

The Movement Is Established 1970

Carol Giardina

in Freedom for Women: Forging the Women's Liberation Movement, 1953-1970

This concluding chapter joyfully traces the establishment of the Women's Liberation Movement in the year 1970. Black women collaborated with white women to give rise to the movement and even ... More

This concluding chapter joyfully traces the establishment of the Women's Liberation Movement in the year 1970. Black women collaborated with white women to give rise to the movement and even succeeded in doing so. The chapter describes the Women's Liberation movement as it turned to become a mass radical movement. Thanks to the efforts of women activists the Women's Liberation Movement became the liveliest conversational topic throughout the nation. Even the media was forced to turn in the favor of Women's Liberation and feminist literature flooded the markets. The Women's Liberation Movement gave rise to the view that women were a class in themselves and should not be just viewed as mere victims of capitalism, racism, and male chauvinism.Less

The Movement Goes Nationwide 1968–1970

Carol Giardina

in Freedom for Women: Forging the Women's Liberation Movement, 1953-1970

The chapter outlines the growth of the Women's Liberation Movement from being confined to one small room to nationwide and then international coverage. The lawmakers rushed to catch up with the ... More

The chapter outlines the growth of the Women's Liberation Movement from being confined to one small room to nationwide and then international coverage. The lawmakers rushed to catch up with the Women's Liberation and this led to many laws being formed in favor of women. Several unions were also formed for union women who demanded liberation for themselves. Zapping the Miss America Beauty Pageant was another achievement of the women's movement. The chapter also gives details about the first national conference which indicated the growth of the new women's movement. With the rise of the movement between 1968–1970 women all over the nation rose up and fought against male chauvinism with much passion and unity.Less

Introduction

Carol Giardina

in Freedom for Women: Forging the Women's Liberation Movement, 1953-1970

This introductory chapter investigates how the pioneers of the Women's Liberation Movement gained the courage and consciousness to make a movement against male supremacy in the United States in the ... More

This introductory chapter investigates how the pioneers of the Women's Liberation Movement gained the courage and consciousness to make a movement against male supremacy in the United States in the 1960s. The Women's Liberation Movement (WLM) against male supremacy in the United States has been thought from time to time to be a result of frustrations at male chauvinism faced by women in past movements such as the Black Freedom Movement. In fact, the WLM was rather the consequence of experiences, ideas resources, and skills acquired by women activists during the movements prior to the existence of the WLM. The introductory chapter explains this fact quite thoroughly. The chapter also brings forth the sources instrumental to activists in such women's liberation movements. Feminist ideas and aspects responsible for the success of these movements are also an important part of this chapter.Less

The Influence of Black Power on the Rise of Women's Liberation

Carol Giardina

in Freedom for Women: Forging the Women's Liberation Movement, 1953-1970

This chapter focuses on the strong influence of Black Power on the growth of women's liberation. “Black Power” refers to the winning of sufficient political power by poor black people. The chapter ... More

This chapter focuses on the strong influence of Black Power on the growth of women's liberation. “Black Power” refers to the winning of sufficient political power by poor black people. The chapter outlines the effect of Black Power on the liberation of black feminism. The chapter also tells about a different type of male chauvinism in the form of the black nationalist Left. The chapter states Black Power to be the basis for challenging male chauvinism. As stated in this chapter black feminism appears to have been produced by Black Power. Black Power also provided black women with training for organizing the Women's Liberation Movement. The chapter also discusses the effect of Black Power on white feminists.Less

“After that paper, there would be no turning back”

Carol Giardina

in Freedom for Women: Forging the Women's Liberation Movement, 1953-1970

The chapter brings forth the debate which was initiated in black Women's Liberation groups as well as white groups over men being regarded as being the oppressors of women. Groups were formed among ... More

The chapter brings forth the debate which was initiated in black Women's Liberation groups as well as white groups over men being regarded as being the oppressors of women. Groups were formed among radical women over the reasons responsible for the oppression of women. Some declared capitalism to be the sole oppressor of women while others held the culpability of men to be responsible. These debates among radical women helped to give rise to ideas upon which the Women's Liberation Movement was built. The chapter also traces the formation of the Women's Liberation Movement which demanded women's representation in every walk of life be it in education or employment.Less

New Left politics and Women’s Liberation

Celia Hughes

in Young Lives on the Left: Sixties Activism and the Liberation of the Self

This chapter sets out the political transition on the left following the disintegration of the VSC in 1969, and explores the cultural and emotional changes accompanying this. Introducing the ‘new ... More

This chapter sets out the political transition on the left following the disintegration of the VSC in 1969, and explores the cultural and emotional changes accompanying this. Introducing the ‘new left’ politics of Women’s Liberation and non-aligned left groups, it presents a case study of a north London VSC branch, based in Camden Town, which in 1969 reformed away from the VSC to become a new left collective, the Camden Movement for People’s Power (CMPP). The story of CMPP and the Tufnell Park Women’s Liberation group presents a rarely told account of women and men’s political and personal experiences of the ‘new left’ women’s politics in its very early days. The chapter argues that the arrival of Women’s Liberation was more socially and emotionally complex than existing histories often suggest with far-reaching implications for every-day family life and friendships as well as political life.Less

Toward a Female Liberation Movement

Carol Giardina

in Freedom for Women: Forging the Women's Liberation Movement, 1953-1970

Male domination in the early 1960s limited women's participation in important spheres of life. Few women were even aware of the fact that they were being oppressed in any way. Then by the close of ... More

Male domination in the early 1960s limited women's participation in important spheres of life. Few women were even aware of the fact that they were being oppressed in any way. Then by the close of the decade, a movement was initiated, challenging male chauvinism in every field. This chapter pays attention to the emergence of the feminist movement for fighting against injustice committed against women by their counterparts. The chapter throws light on the oppressive conditions of women from which they were entirely unconscious. Then slowly conditions changed the Women's Liberation Movements which started in the 1960s. The chapter views the changes that were brought about by the liberation movement. Further, the chapter charts the journey of women activists involved in women's liberation movements.Less

Making the Women's Liberation Movement

Carol Giardina

in Freedom for Women: Forging the Women's Liberation Movement, 1953-1970

The chapter traces the journey of the formation of the Women's Liberation Movement. When the movement was initiated many questions arose such as whether men should be included in the revolt or ... More

The chapter traces the journey of the formation of the Women's Liberation Movement. When the movement was initiated many questions arose such as whether men should be included in the revolt or whether they should be categorized as women's oppressors. “Sisterhood is Powerful” and “Consciousness-Raising” were some of the major ideas influencing the movement. The debate over the need for a political program for the movement gave rise to the program for feminist consciousness-raising. Consciousness-raising and black women's liberation are closely knitted together. The ideas of “Sisterhood is Powerful” and “Consciousness-Raising” found many favorable social conditions for stirring and organizing a Women's Liberation Movement.Less

Second Wave Feminism, Labour, and the Defence of the Abortion Act, 1967–90

Stephen Brooke

in Sexual Politics: Sexuality, Family Planning, and the British Left from the 1880s to the Present Day

In the two decades following the passing of the Abortion Act, the Labour Party became a critical element in campaigns to oppose restrictive legislation. This period also saw the party’s treatment of ... More

In the two decades following the passing of the Abortion Act, the Labour Party became a critical element in campaigns to oppose restrictive legislation. This period also saw the party’s treatment of sexual issues open up in ways unimaginable earlier in the century. In 1975 and 1977, the party’s annual conference committed Labour to the expansion of reproductive rights, including abortion on demand. In 1982, Labour’s programme included policies to eliminate discrimination against homosexuals on the ‘principle of sexual equality’.  Three years later, the party conference adopted a comprehensive programme to promote gay rights. What had been undercurrents in Labour politics came to the surface with considerable force in the 1970s and 1980s. This chapter examines the relationship between the defence of the Abortion Act between 1967 and 1990, the rise of women’s liberation and changes within the Labour Party.Less

“Women’s Liberation” and the Equal Rights Amendment

June Melby Benowitz

in Challenge and Change: Right-Wing Women, Grassroots Activism, and the Baby Boom Generation

This chapter begins with a brief history of the women’s equal rights movement, and then explores women’s responses to the issue during the 1960s and 1970s. Most of the women examined here were ... More

This chapter begins with a brief history of the women’s equal rights movement, and then explores women’s responses to the issue during the 1960s and 1970s. Most of the women examined here were right-wing and actively opposed the ERA, but some supporters are included in the chapter. It explores the clashes between those women who favored the amendment, and those who opposed it. It looks at the reasons why many women joined together to campaign against the ERA, examining such demographic factors as age, social status, and occupation. The chapter ends with a sampling of baby boomers’ reflections on what the conflict over the ERA meant for them.Less

“Something had to be there already”

Carol Giardina

in Freedom for Women: Forging the Women's Liberation Movement, 1953-1970

The feminism of women activists working with women's liberation movements has been framed by powerful forces. All these feminist activists shared common life experiences. This chapter aims to give ... More

The feminism of women activists working with women's liberation movements has been framed by powerful forces. All these feminist activists shared common life experiences. This chapter aims to give insight on these common features prevalent in the lives of women activists. The common feature was the presence of an Old Left family background for these feminists. The chapter provides an account of the presence of radical feminism in the lives of major activists. The activists talked about in the chapter include Judith Brown, Pam Allen, Pauli Murray, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Ella Baker, and Patricia Robinson. These women activists had an idea about the woman question much before they became Women's Liberation pioneers. This can be attributed to their radical feminist families.Less

Ridicule and Celebration: Black Women as Symbols in the Rearticulation of Race

Maxine Leeds Craig

in Ain't I a Beauty Queen?: Black Women, Beauty, and the Politics of Race

This chapter begins with a discussion of the two separate protests conducted during the Miss America pageant in September 1968: that of Women's Liberation members against beauty pageants, and the ... More

This chapter begins with a discussion of the two separate protests conducted during the Miss America pageant in September 1968: that of Women's Liberation members against beauty pageants, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's (NAACP) staging of the first Miss Black America pageant as a “positive protest” against the exclusion of black women from the Miss America title. It then discusses the social sources of resistance, value of social honor, and the multidimensionality of racial rearticulation. An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.Less

Riding the Second Wave: The American Face of Women's Liberation in Britain

in Special Relations: The Americanization of Britain?

This chapter reviews the transatlantic nature of both the ideology and the practice of feminism in a period that needs to be re-assessed as a special moment rather than a prelude to failure. The ... More

This chapter reviews the transatlantic nature of both the ideology and the practice of feminism in a period that needs to be re-assessed as a special moment rather than a prelude to failure. The “electric shock” of self-awareness that galvanized renascent feminism into a Women's Liberation Movement rested on much of its rhetoric and something of its practice to American Black Power. As in the United States, Women's Lib in Britain is often mocked as an anomaly whereby angry white mostly middle-class young women used a rhetoric of exploitation somewhat at odds with their privileged social condition. American feminism may have contributed on the personal and fanatical separatism that was unappealing to many British activist women. The women's press had closely adopted formulas and material from the United States. Furthermore, lesbian feminism was simply a minority fringe of the Anglo-American woman's movement.Less

A Revolution in Ephemera: Feminist Newsletters and Newspapers of the 1970s

Agatha Beins

in This Book Is an Action: Feminist Print Culture and Activist Aesthetics

This chapter uses feminist periodicals to demonstrate the significance of the local, quotidian, and daily scale at which Women's Liberation occurred in the 1970s. Offering local interpretations of ... More

This chapter uses feminist periodicals to demonstrate the significance of the local, quotidian, and daily scale at which Women's Liberation occurred in the 1970s. Offering local interpretations of grander ideals, shifts in ideas and ideals through time, a variety of different texts and voices, and local specificity, periodicals temper and texture the political images that characterized feminism on a national scale. In their content and in their intertextuality, periodicals highlight how feminist ideals were manifested in different communities and how communities developed distinct practices to reach these ideals. To illustrate the complexity and provisionality of feminism during this time, the chapter focuses on four different facets of periodicals: spatial intertexuality, temporal intertextuality, the significance of location, and the way periodicals make feminism visible at a local, quotidian scale. It examines periodicals published in New Orleans, Louisiana (Distaff), Northampton, Massachusetts (Valley Women's Center Newsletter), Cambridge, Massachusetts (Female Liberation Newsletter), Iowa City, Iowa (Ain't I a Woman?), and Los Angeles, California (L.A. Women's Liberation Newsletter, later published as Sister).Less

The “Borning” Movement: “The idea of doing something about it”

Carol Giardina

in Freedom for Women: Forging the Women's Liberation Movement, 1953-1970

The Civil Rights Movement, especially the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), was renowned for being a breeding ground for feminists. The chapter looks closely at the SNCC and its ... More

The Civil Rights Movement, especially the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), was renowned for being a breeding ground for feminists. The chapter looks closely at the SNCC and its influence on the Women's Liberation Movement (WLM). The positive ideas emerging out of the Civil Rights Movement were the major influencing factors of rise of the WLM. The Civil Rights Movement gave the WLM the experience of a new leadership. This chapter begins with discussing the controversial topics of black gender conventions and white gender conventions. The chapter also brings into the picture different female leaders who fought hard for women's liberation. Ella Baker, Diane Nash, and Ruby Doris Robinson get a special mention in the chapter for their leadership roles in the SNCC. Finally, the chapter talks about the transformation of women's liberation pioneers.Less

The Influence of Simone de Beauvoir

Carol Giardina

in Freedom for Women: Forging the Women's Liberation Movement, 1953-1970

Simone de Beauvoir has played a major role in raising Women's Liberation founders' understanding that male ascendancy has imposed limitations on women's achievement of human potential. Many leading ... More

Simone de Beauvoir has played a major role in raising Women's Liberation founders' understanding that male ascendancy has imposed limitations on women's achievement of human potential. Many leading Women's Liberation organizers have adopted feminist consciousness, ideology, and an example from Beauvoir. The chapter brings into light the influences of Simone de Beauvoir on different women activists and their thinking patterns. “The Second Sex”, written by Beauvoir, managed to manipulate many women's thinking and raised their consciousness towards a need for a women's liberation movement. The chapter provides an accounts of different activists and how they were affected by reading Beauvoir's views in her book.Less

Adulthood and activism in the 1970s

Celia Hughes

in Young Lives on the Left: Sixties Activism and the Liberation of the Self

The first part of two chapters that examine adulthood in the activist milieux in the first half of the 1970s, this chapter considers the subjective experience of the new liberation politics in the ... More

The first part of two chapters that examine adulthood in the activist milieux in the first half of the 1970s, this chapter considers the subjective experience of the new liberation politics in the north London non-aligned left. It addresses key markers of early adult life, including friendship, work, love and family life to explore the impact of the new liberation politics on these experiences. The chapter shows the social and psychic pressures of trying to negotiate prevailing mainstream social norms to conceive radical ways of living and being every day.Less

Trotskyism and the revolutionary self

Celia Hughes

in Young Lives on the Left: Sixties Activism and the Liberation of the Self

This chapter follows the themes of the previous chapter to explore the specific social and psychological demands young Trotskyists faced in adapting their political language and social behaviour to ... More

This chapter follows the themes of the previous chapter to explore the specific social and psychological demands young Trotskyists faced in adapting their political language and social behaviour to the landscape of militant labour politics at a high-point of 1970s trade union struggles. Discussing the gendered dimension of revolutionary identity, it shows the challenges and contradictions of trying to reconcile everyday social and emotional life to a fraternal political culture that denied space for the personal. As men and women who were not directly committed to the sexual politics of the non-aligned left, but who were close enough to the movement to be aware of its politics, it argues that the stories of this far left cohort provide insight into the impact of Women’s Liberation on the everyday private life and subjectivity of individuals beyond the immediate vicinity of socialist feminist circles.Less