1960s Women's Rights

Unbeknownst to some, the Women’s Rights Movement of the 1960s was not the start of the women’s push for equality. In fact, the original movement began in the 19th century over a cup of tea with Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Eisenberg & Ruthsdotter, n.d.). Stanton was dissatisfied with the state of women’s affairs and that they were being treated as second class citizens, especially since the American Revolution had just been fought not 70 years earlier (Eisenberg & Ruthsdotter, n.d.) Why weren’t women getting the same rights and opportunities as men? Stanton took it upon herself to draft a “Declaration of Sentiments”. It was a declaration similar to that of the Declaration of Independence and stated what “he” had refused “she” and the “entire disenfranchisement
It was common practice that after a divorce, the husband would get the children. Children are seen as property and because women did not have rights to own property, they could not have their children (Divorce and Custody, n.d.). However as women gained rights and the view of children changed, courts started to rule in the best interest of the child and grant custody to mothers (Divorce and Custody, n.d.). Moreover, an increase in single mothers and dual working parents meant that there was no longer anyone home when children were released from school. This led to the rise of the latchkey child. A latchkey child is defined as, “a child who is at home without adult supervision for some part of the day, especially after school until a parent returns from work” (Merriam Webster, n.d.). How long a child was left at home depended on the age and schedule of the parents. According to a report by the Washington Times, 14 percent of children ages 5 to 12 are latchkey kids. This translates to 3.5 million children who are without supervision at least one hour per day (2010). A rise in women entering the workforce led to a need for more childcare facilities. Women could either have family members watch their children, leave the kids home alone, or send them to a daycare facility. In the 1940s, the American government passed the Lanham Act that allowed for federal grants to fund public or private child care services for working mothers (Historical Timeline: Preparation for the Care and Education Workforce in the United States, n.d.) This was another economic benefit to women entering the workforce. It opened up a new job opportunity for both women and men to enter