Success and Solitude Feminist Organizations Fifty Years After The Feminine Mystique

by Maxwell, Sarah

• ISBN13: 9780761845034
• ISBN10: 0761845038
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-01-29
• Publisher: UPA

Summary

In the early 1960s, a wife, mother, and activist asked, "Is this all?" and the second wave of feminism was born. The Feminine Mystique marshaled support for women's causes, particularly among white, suburban homemakers who were educated but intellectually frustrated. Through the National Organization for Women, Betty Friedan and her colleagues aimed their message to both the frustrated homemaker and the employed middle-class woman. Thousands of grass-roots and national organizations emerged as a sizable powerhouse for women's rights. Organizational membership grew, laws were passed, public policy acquiesced, and women entered academia, the workplace, and politics in dramatic fashion over only a few decades. Where is the Women's Movement today, a half century later? The answer is deeply rooted in the health and vitality of the organizations that comprise the national movement. Many women are now successful, but feminist organizations find themselves in solitude, nearly fifty years following The Feminine Mystique. In Success and Solitude, the women's movement as a national social movement is critiqued and analyzed at an organizational level. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Sarah Maxwell Ph.D., is a lecturer in the School of Public Policy, Eller College of Management, at University of Arizona. She teaches courses in public and nonprofit management and policy.

Table of Contents

Tables	p. vii
Figures	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Building a Movement: From Friedan to NOW	p. 1
The Fight for Equality	p. 3
The Approach	p. 4
So What?	p. 7
Societal Trends and Feminism	p. 9
Limitations to Studying Social Movements	p. 10
Organization of the Book	p. 12
Inequality and Resources in Social Movements	p. 13
The History of Social Movement Theory: Bridging Theories to Yield Commonalities	p. 14
Defining Social Movements for Analysis: Resources as the Foundation of Sustainability	p. 18
Resource Mobilization and Commonalities Applied	p. 23
Resource Mobilization, Commonalities, and Next Steps	p. 27
Social Infrastructure, Resources, and Membership	p. 31
Methodology	p. 32
The Fight for Equality	p. 36
Perceptions	p. 48
Membership in Women's Organizations	p. 52
Conclusion	p. 58
The Changing Nature of the Women's Movement Over Fifty Years	p. 61
The Changing Nature of Educational Inequality for Women	p. 63
Opportunities in the Labor Market, the Significance of 76 Cents	p. 75
Political Equality	p. 93
Indicators of Inequality in 2000-2008	p. 96
Changing Trends: We're Not Joining, but Friedan's Message Survives	p. 99
Changes in Feminist Organizational Membership Since the 1980s	p. 109
Membership Decline	p. 111
General Trends among Women's Organizations	p. 113
Trends in Perceived Discrimination, Membership, and Belief in Feminism	p. 114
Success and Solitude Nearly a Half-Century Later	p. 115
The Unfolding Feminist Organization Story: Why Is Membership Declining?	p. 116
Are Women Still Experiencing Inequality? A Synopsis	p. 117
Do Women Perceive Discrimination?	p. 120
Linking Perceived Inequality and Attitudes About Feminism: How Do Women Regard Feminism Now?	p. 121
Do Membership Levels Reflect the Changing Movement?	p. 122
The Path: Actual Inequality, Perceived Inequality, Self-ID as a Feminist, and Membership	p. 123
Where is the Women's Movement Now? What Has Changed?	p. 124
Larger Societal Trends and Declines in Feminist Membership	p. 125
Appendix	p. 131
References	p. 135
About the Author	p. 145
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