1960s-1980s: Liberation Isn't a Luxury

By the 1960s, women had had enough.

Enough of being told to smile and settle. Enough of being praised for sacrifice but denied opportunity. The Women’s Liberation Movement lit a fire under a new generation—and they didn’t whisper, they shouted.

This was second-wave feminism, and it wasn’t just about voting or working—it was about power, equality, and choice.

Women fought for:

• Equal pay

• Access to birth control

• Legal abortion

• Protection from discrimination and harassment

  
  

Laws began to change. Title IX (1972) opened doors in education and sports. The Equal Pay Act (1963) tried to close the wage gap. Roe v. Wade (1973) gave women control over their reproductive lives.

But it wasn’t just about laws—it was about identity. Women questioned what it meant to be “feminine.” Could you be powerful and still be soft? Could you raise kids and run a company? Could you not have kids at all?

Women of color, queer women, and working-class women also challenged the mainstream feminist message. They said: we want liberation too—but we won’t all take the same path.

This era taught us that confidence isn’t about becoming someone else—it’s about claiming yourself. Your voice. Your choices. Your path.

Sources:

• Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique (1963)

• Echols, Alice. Daring to Be Bad: Radical Feminism in America 1967–1975

• National Women’s History Museum: https://www.womenshistory.org

• Title IX History: U.S. Department of Education – https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/tix_dis.html