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Pregnancy Discrimination and 1970s Feminism
- 1 Department of business, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 518057, China
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The paper discusses the feminist movement of the 1970s, focusing on its approach to pregnancy discrimination, which initially did not emerge as a top priority. The work highlights that, while pregnancy discrimination was indeed an important issue, it took time to come into prominence and be represented within the feminist agenda until the final passage of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978-a poignant piece of legislation. By analyzing feminist manifestos, legislative records, and key writings from prominent feminists in ways that capture, at each stage, how the movement adapted to various forms of discrimination. The adaptation shows how evolving priorities within the feminist movement influenced its overall strategy aimed at winning the struggle for gender equality. It also highlights how ongoing feminist activism has been changing through the resurgence against new challenges in movements that fight for broader social justice. These changes show the dynamic nature of feminist advocacy and its struggle for progress.
Keywords
Feminism, Pregnancy Discrimination Act, Gender Equality, 1970s Feminist Movement, Workplace Discrimination
[1]. Betty Friedan, The Feminine Mystique (New York: W.W. Norton, 1963).
[2]. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, "Sex Bias in the U.S. Code," Human Rights 7, no. 1 (1977): 14-20.
[3]. General Electric Co. v. Gilbert, 429 U.S. 125 (1976).
[4]. U.S. Congress, "Legislation to Prohibit Sex Discrimination on the Basis of Pregnancy," 1978.
[5]. Dorothy Sue Cobble, "Feminism and the Labor Movement: A Century of Collaboration and Conflict," New Labor Forum 20, no. 1 (2011): 32-41.
[6]. Victoria Margree, "Shulamith Firestone: Why the Radical Feminist Who Wanted to Abolish Pregnancy Remains Relevant," The Conversation, April 25, 2019.
[7]. Redstockings, "Redstockings Manifesto," 1969.
[8]. Susan Deller Ross, "Pregnancy and Discrimination," Journal of Family Law 16 (1978): 95-110.
Cite this article
Zhou,N. (2025). Pregnancy Discrimination and 1970s Feminism. Communications in Humanities Research,56,78-81.
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Volume title: Proceedings of 3rd International Conference on Interdisciplinary Humanities and Communication Studies
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