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“People Now Do Not Realize What It Was Like Then”: Tumblr User Lists What Things Weren’t Legal For Women In The 1960s
We have come a long way since the dark times of pre-first-wave feminism when society was wondering “Hmmm, are women maybe human beings?” From 1848 to 1920, 70 whole years, women fought for the right to vote, but it was still a long way to go until women were taken as equals in the broadest, human sense.
Hence, second-wave feminism marked a fight for a wide range of issues, from the workplace, de facto inequalities, family and sexuality, reproductive rights, and many more. In 1949, when the French philosopher Simone De Beauvoir released her book “The Second Sex,” it further fueled the feminist consciousness and paved the way to the more equal society we live in today.
But since there’s still a lot of room for improving the future of women’s and traditionally marginalized groups’ rights, it’s worth reflecting on the past. Especially when the term is often misused or viewed with distrust and criticism these past decades.
So this time, we will be looking into an illuminating thread by one Tumblr user who listed the things that women of the 1960s legally couldn’t do. It does feel a little shocking, to say the least, and shows just how thankful we have to be to feminism and its brave fighters who turned this world around.
RELATED:
A Tumblr user has recently shared a somewhat shocking list of things that women in the 1960s weren’t legally allowed to do
Image credits: Pixabay
Another person pointed out that these things were in living memory and emphasized the importance of feminism
In 1960, almost 40 percent of American women were in the workforce. They made on average 60 percent less than men, had near to zero opportunity to advance, and were hardly represented in their professions. Most women worked in “pink collar” jobs as teachers, secretaries, and nurses. Up until the 1960s, newspapers even had separate job listings for men and women, and the same job listing indicated a smaller wage for a woman worker.
But three years later, in 1963, congress passed the Equal Pay Act, which required employers to pay men and women the same wage for equivalent work. A year later, another dramatic change happened with the congress passing Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Essentially, it banned discrimination on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, or gender and paved way to file a lawsuit against discrimination in the workplace.
As a result, more and more jobs became available to women. By 1970, more than 43 percent of women were in the workforce, and it was just the beginning.In 1969, elite all-male colleges like Princeton and Yale began admitting women students.
This woman who grew up in the 1960s also shared what life was like for her being born a girl, and it’s disturbing
In the midst of the feminist upheaval of the ’60s, many new rulings came to existence. For example, in 1965, the Supreme Court ruled that earlier law against birth control violated the right to marital privacy. Many women of the time felt like they were free to take charge of their own bodies, as the federal government approved contraceptives, the pill in particular, in 1960.
Others reminded us all to never forget the history
Image credits: cottonpadenthusiast
What do you think ?
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
Since this was a comment elsewhere: GOP stands for Grand Old Party, a moniker given to the Republican (far-right/conservative) Party in the US. The Dems are Democrats, or Democratic Party. RINO is "Republican In Name Only", or a conservative who dislikes Trumpism. Currently, GOP should stand for "Gross Old Profiteers", IMO, but that's me, and I await downvotes with glee:-)
Caro Caro 4 years ago
I've just finished reading this and now I want to punch someone in the face. Do you Panda's realize there are women out there who actually want the GOP to set us back because these women think they are good wives and/or christian wives or other bullsh!t. I'm 54 and when, in the 80's and 90's I worked for this huge international company and landed a job in computer and software Helpdesk. How many times men asked me why? ....because it was not a lady like thing. And now I see a reverse of things even I had to argue for, and I had it relatively easy. So i'm going to chop some wood thank you very much.
ZAPanda 4 years ago
I always ask them why they think typing on a computer is macho... i mean, programming and being a secretary both involve typing... so I fail to see why one is stereotypically male and vice versa. It's bizarre.
Load More Replies...
Martha Meyer 4 years ago
Please add which country this applies to. In many countries, women still can't do some of these things and in some other countries, they could already do them prior to the 1960ies.
BusLady 4 years ago
When I was a little girl in the 1960's, girls were taught that they could be teachers but never a principal, a nurse but never a doctor, and a stewardess but never a pilot.
ZAPanda 4 years ago
I have a friend who is a pilot who has a great story about this. She was walking across the apron in a large coat to HER plane and security stopped her and said "air hostesses can board later". She pulled the coat off with a flourish revealing the captain's uniform. Beautiful.
Load More Replies...
L. Murphy 4 years ago
Another big one--- a husband could commit his wife to a mental institution, just for disagreeing with him or not behaving like a "woman". This happened as late as the 70's. Also, female minors who committed misdemeanors or ran away from home would be deemed deviant and sent to juvenile facilities, while boys who did the same or worse would be sent home. I spent two years in these hell holes in the early 80's, and my appearance was always an issue. I did not conform to the feminine ideal. Girls were also forced to have a gyno exam. Felt like rape every time. If you refused, you went into solitary. Just thinking about it fills me with rage.
Tamra Stiffler 4 years ago
And you have every right to be enraged. This is just terrible!
Load More Replies...
Tracy Sellars 4 years ago
In Australia in the 70's my single parent Mum had to pretend to be married to rent a flat. Also before she left my physically abusive father she got a visit from the government to tell her she was better off staying with him. There was no support for women in the 70's.
Caro Caro 4 years ago
Tracy, my parents helped a woman in Aus. They found out her husband was beating the *$^& out of her and we had a small bungalow on our property. They told her to live with us. One night her drunk husband was trying to drag her out of the bungalow and dad got so pissed off he grabbed my brand new bike and hit him on the head with it. The police came and he never bothered her again. It's one of many stories about women needing help and not getting it from the authorities and governments. I'm glad your mum got away. Bless you.
Load More Replies... BusLady 4 years ago
In 1978 I was pregnant with my first child. I was going to job interviews because I couldn't continue in my current job, due to heavy lifting. One man who was interviewing me leaned toward me, lowered his voice and said "I know I'm not supposed to ask, but are you pregnant?" I looked him straight in the eye and said "No." and got up and left. If he knew he wasn't supposed to ask, why did he ask? I finally found a job, and when they realized I was pregnant they were upset about it. But they couldn't fire me based on that because of the new law.
GirlFriday 4 years ago (edited)
THANK YOU RBG! She changed the banking laws in the US to allow women the rights to ownership of bank accounts and financial instruments without permission of their husbands/fathers.
Lauren Caswell 4 years ago (edited)
When my parents were married but before us kids, my mum had problems getting a chequebook/account. Told by the bank she could just use her husband's couldn't she? This is late 70s early 80s. And in response to some comments here let me clarify: NZ, not USA. Yes, the same NZ who was first to give women the vote. Sexism was and still is rampant, everywhere.
RandomPanda 3 years ago
this! there are a few people I've met who say that "sexism is a lie because women can vote." "The pay gap exists because women are too emotional to do work as well as men." and some blatant sexism: "You must have cheated on the math test, a girl can't score that high!" the list goes on...
Load More Replies...
Kathleen Suileabháin 4 years ago
My mother was a nursing student in the 1960s in Washington D.C.- they indeed had to be unmarried- but the combination of young and impressionable nursing students, predatory male doctors and hospital staff, and the lack of accessible birth control meant that when the inevitable “accidents” happened, the girls actually gave each other illegal abortions. It was definitely a thing that stuck with me. That and the bone-deep fear that RNs from that era had for Richard Speck. My mother wouldn’t flinch at the goriest of traumas, but he scared the s**t out of her.
GoddessOdd 4 years ago
Yes, my very dear friend is a retired nurse, she used to be asked to perform them all the time, and more than once had women arrive with the coat hanger they'd use to perforate their own uterus.
Load More Replies... Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
Since this was a comment elsewhere: GOP stands for Grand Old Party, a moniker given to the Republican (far-right/conservative) Party in the US. The Dems are Democrats, or Democratic Party. RINO is "Republican In Name Only", or a conservative who dislikes Trumpism. Currently, GOP should stand for "Gross Old Profiteers", IMO, but that's me, and I await downvotes with glee:-)
Caro Caro 4 years ago
I've just finished reading this and now I want to punch someone in the face. Do you Panda's realize there are women out there who actually want the GOP to set us back because these women think they are good wives and/or christian wives or other bullsh!t. I'm 54 and when, in the 80's and 90's I worked for this huge international company and landed a job in computer and software Helpdesk. How many times men asked me why? ....because it was not a lady like thing. And now I see a reverse of things even I had to argue for, and I had it relatively easy. So i'm going to chop some wood thank you very much.
ZAPanda 4 years ago
I always ask them why they think typing on a computer is macho... i mean, programming and being a secretary both involve typing... so I fail to see why one is stereotypically male and vice versa. It's bizarre.
Load More Replies... Martha Meyer 4 years ago
Please add which country this applies to. In many countries, women still can't do some of these things and in some other countries, they could already do them prior to the 1960ies.
BusLady 4 years ago
When I was a little girl in the 1960's, girls were taught that they could be teachers but never a principal, a nurse but never a doctor, and a stewardess but never a pilot.
ZAPanda 4 years ago
I have a friend who is a pilot who has a great story about this. She was walking across the apron in a large coat to HER plane and security stopped her and said "air hostesses can board later". She pulled the coat off with a flourish revealing the captain's uniform. Beautiful.
Load More Replies... L. Murphy 4 years ago
Another big one--- a husband could commit his wife to a mental institution, just for disagreeing with him or not behaving like a "woman". This happened as late as the 70's. Also, female minors who committed misdemeanors or ran away from home would be deemed deviant and sent to juvenile facilities, while boys who did the same or worse would be sent home. I spent two years in these hell holes in the early 80's, and my appearance was always an issue. I did not conform to the feminine ideal. Girls were also forced to have a gyno exam. Felt like rape every time. If you refused, you went into solitary. Just thinking about it fills me with rage.
Tamra Stiffler 4 years ago
And you have every right to be enraged. This is just terrible!
Load More Replies... Tracy Sellars 4 years ago
In Australia in the 70's my single parent Mum had to pretend to be married to rent a flat. Also before she left my physically abusive father she got a visit from the government to tell her she was better off staying with him. There was no support for women in the 70's.
Caro Caro 4 years ago
Tracy, my parents helped a woman in Aus. They found out her husband was beating the *$^& out of her and we had a small bungalow on our property. They told her to live with us. One night her drunk husband was trying to drag her out of the bungalow and dad got so pissed off he grabbed my brand new bike and hit him on the head with it. The police came and he never bothered her again. It's one of many stories about women needing help and not getting it from the authorities and governments. I'm glad your mum got away. Bless you.
Load More Replies... BusLady 4 years ago
In 1978 I was pregnant with my first child. I was going to job interviews because I couldn't continue in my current job, due to heavy lifting. One man who was interviewing me leaned toward me, lowered his voice and said "I know I'm not supposed to ask, but are you pregnant?" I looked him straight in the eye and said "No." and got up and left. If he knew he wasn't supposed to ask, why did he ask? I finally found a job, and when they realized I was pregnant they were upset about it. But they couldn't fire me based on that because of the new law.
GirlFriday 4 years ago (edited)
THANK YOU RBG! She changed the banking laws in the US to allow women the rights to ownership of bank accounts and financial instruments without permission of their husbands/fathers.
Lauren Caswell 4 years ago (edited)
When my parents were married but before us kids, my mum had problems getting a chequebook/account. Told by the bank she could just use her husband's couldn't she? This is late 70s early 80s. And in response to some comments here let me clarify: NZ, not USA. Yes, the same NZ who was first to give women the vote. Sexism was and still is rampant, everywhere.
RandomPanda 3 years ago
this! there are a few people I've met who say that "sexism is a lie because women can vote." "The pay gap exists because women are too emotional to do work as well as men." and some blatant sexism: "You must have cheated on the math test, a girl can't score that high!" the list goes on...
Load More Replies... Kathleen Suileabháin 4 years ago
My mother was a nursing student in the 1960s in Washington D.C.- they indeed had to be unmarried- but the combination of young and impressionable nursing students, predatory male doctors and hospital staff, and the lack of accessible birth control meant that when the inevitable “accidents” happened, the girls actually gave each other illegal abortions. It was definitely a thing that stuck with me. That and the bone-deep fear that RNs from that era had for Richard Speck. My mother wouldn’t flinch at the goriest of traumas, but he scared the s**t out of her.
GoddessOdd 4 years ago
Yes, my very dear friend is a retired nurse, she used to be asked to perform them all the time, and more than once had women arrive with the coat hanger they'd use to perforate their own uterus.
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