Women in 1960’s

Many women decided there was more to life than babies, dishes and happy husbands. They felt that their contribution to the war effort had been forgotten. In the 1960s thousands joined NOW – the National Organisation for Women.

A book was published in 1963 which changed the world. Betty Friedan, a Communist, wrote ‘The Feminist Mystique’. It said that women had been brainwashed by men into being their servants. She called upon women to educate themselves and become partners with their men rather than second-class citizens
This book helped launched the later Women’s Movement .

"a comfortable concentration camp" - Betty Friedan describing the suburban home in the eyes of a woman

Key Words

homemaker - a traditional role for a housewife
suburbs, suburbia - modern housing estates on the outskirts of towns and cities e.g. Coulsdon.
Tupperware - a brand of plastic kitchen stuff like sandwich boxes which are sold through home parties, like Avon cosmetics or Ann Summers sexy undies!
Communist - someone who believes in equality for all people and a big change in the way we live.

In the 1960's women occupied roughly half of the jobs in IT, but these were largely the unskilled data entry positions.