My favorite Betty :o).
Posted on 02/09/2006 12:55:25 PM PST by tbird5
I don't know about any good stuff coming from the feminist movement of the 60s and 70s. As far as I'm concerned, I have less choices now than I would have in the 50s. A woman in the 50s could have worked if she wanted to, but it wasn't necessary like it is now. All they did by encouraging women to work was raise the standard of living so much that today we can't afford a house without two working adults in a family.
If, however, you are talking about strong women like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, I'm all in agreement that they did a lot of good :)
FTR, I just turned 30.
The feminist movement benefitted greatly from the uncoupling of the dollar from gold by President Nixon and the preliminary actions by President Johnson. Because the dollar had been so inflated due to trying to fight the Vietnam war while maintaining a War on Poverty at home, etc., once the dollar and gold were unhitched, the value of gold shot up ultimately reaching a high near $800 an ounce. Along with this dollar devaluation, real wages plummetted in terms of buying power. Because the federal government never really made the connection, in order to approach the lifestyle previously enjoyed by a one-earner family, wives/mothers were forced into the work force. Compounding this, as wages rose to offset the devalued dollar, the income tax indexing was never changed. While a family had more take home income on paper, they quickly found themselves in the next higher tax bracket which further eroded their buying power. It was not a result of the movement but a "benefit" to the movement. It was not until about 1995 that the basic family of four began to achieve true earning parallel with that of the 60's and before very much in part due to the effects of President Reagan's tax cuts and the capital gains tax restructuring under President Bush (41).
More nookie for single guys?
Thank you! You are someone who gets it.
When Kos and the feminists went on their immature little rampage at Amazon in order to bring the sale of O'Beirne's book down (which my husband thoughtfully purchased for me), the idiots wrote things like "Well we can't possibly stay home. It takes two incomes to pay the mortgage!" Not one of them realizes WHY it takes two incomes now. We're talking, unfortunately, about an entire generation of liberals who do not know their facts. We're talking about an entire generation who knows no other way than the way it is now. I wonder how long it would take the cost of housing to come back down to reasonable if women LEFT the workforce as quickly as they entered it. Another benefit - this country would use half the oil it uses now. :)
Of course, they also said ignorant things like "Hey! The feminists got women the right to vote!" No, they didn't, DUmmie. The suffragists did and the suffragists would be absolutely appalled at what the feminists have done to society!
"But leery of abortion and concerned that men were losing their rights? Never heard these two things about her"
Good questions worthy of some extra research. Thanks!
I'm old enough to have an original copy of "The Feminist Mystique" on my bookshelves.
Although some of what you say is true, wives and mothers were not initially "forced" into the workforce by dollar devaluation. The feminist movement actually gave industry incentive to raise prices and THEN, yes, families found themselves disadvantaged. However, you also have to factor in the fact that the divorce rate rose dramatically after women began entering the workforce. So, the disadvantaged family actually became the single mom with kids.
More importantly, they are less likely to work as hard as they once used to once IN A COMMITTED RELATIONSHIP.
How about single guys wise up and wait until they're married?
Catfight!
My favorite Betty :o).
Head to the newsstand, PDQ. :^) 
DAMN! Thanks for the tip! Just from what I can see of the cover, it looks like her crack about being flat in one of the first episodes was . . . misplaced. :D
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