Women’s Movement

After the first wave of the women’s movement began in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York, and culminated with the vote for women in 1920, there was a hiatus in feminist activism. Arguably, the second wave of the women’s movement began after the publication of Betty Friedan’s book The Feminine Mystique in 1963. In the subsequent decades, many changes occurred that not only affected women’s economic life but society’s as well. Educational opportunities previously denied to women became available, and along with that came numerous new employment possibilities. As women went into the work world in increasing numbers, the work environment changed as well. Ultimately, the entire family was affected, and women and men have had to deal with an ongoing struggle with work-family issues.