American womanhood is not what it used to be − understanding the backlash to Dobbs v. Jackson
But surprising to me, and to many others, was the nature of the backlash.
- But surprising to me, and to many others, was the nature of the backlash.
- And now, heading into the presidential election in November, abortion rights continues to command a central spotlight in American politics.
- Why have abortion rights so recently come to occupy such a center stage in our state and national elections?
- When Roe was overturned, the clash between these newer versions of womanhood and the elimination of such rights led to major outrage at the ballot box.
Feminism in the ’60s
- The story begins in the 1960s, when feminism became a loud presence on the national political stage.
- A central focus of NOW became ensuring that women should have the same options as men in the paid labor force.
Motherhood, marriage and abortion in the ’60s
- In response, feminists, both in NOW and within the women’s liberation movement, demanded increased access to birth control and abortion.
- A first-of-its-kind abortion-rights group, The National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws, was formed in the late ’60s.
From the 1960s to today
- In the late 1960s, women who had a college degree were only 8.2% of the population, compared with 38.3% in 2021.
- And those who were active in early women’s liberation groups were mostly young and veterans of other protest movements of the 1960s, all of which set them apart from many Americans.
- Women, for example, have continued to enter the workforce in larger numbers since the 1960s.
- Women have come to think of paid work differently, too, since the 1960s.