Women's Strike for Equality

Women's Strike for Equality
Name	Women's Strike for Equality
Date	August 26, 1970
Location	New York City; nationwide
Causes	Second-wave feminism, Equal Pay Act of 1963 (context), Civil Rights Movement (context)
Goals	Expanded Equal Rights Amendment, workplace equity, childcare access
Methods	Mass demonstrations, strikes, public speeches
Result	Increased visibility for National Organization for Women, renewed attention to Equal Rights Amendment

Women's Strike for Equality was a major protest on August 26, 1970, organized by activists to mark the 50th anniversary of 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution and to press for expanded civil, legal, and economic rights for women. The demonstration galvanized organizations and figures associated with Second-wave feminism, produced high-profile actions in New York City, and influenced discourse around legislation such as the Equal Rights Amendment and workplace reforms.

Background

The strike emerged from networks connected to National Organization for Women and drew on the momentum of prior campaigns including actions associated with NOW v. Operation-era activism, campaigns inspired by leaders from Civil Rights Movement, protest tactics from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and consciousness-raising practices developed by groups like Redstockings and Chicago Women's Liberation Union. Influential texts and figures such as Betty Friedan, author of The Feminine Mystique, and scholars associated with Radical feminism and Liberal feminism shaped demands that intersected with policy debates around the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and debates about inclusion at institutions like Columbia University and Harvard University. The 1970 event capitalized on anniversaries related to the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution and paralleled demonstrations by movements such as Anti–Vietnam War movement and campaigns associated with Students for a Democratic Society.

Planning and Organizers

Primary organizers included leaders and staff from National Organization for Women, prominent activists who had worked with Betty Friedan, and coalitions connecting groups such as Redstockings, New York Radical Feminists, and the Women's Strike Coalition. Key public figures associated with planning or visible at actions included activists linked to Gloria Steinem, contributors from Ms. (magazine), and academics affiliated with institutions like New York University and Columbia University. Support and participation came from labor-aligned organizations including local chapters of American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations members, civil rights groups with roots in National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and student organizations tracing organizing models to Students for a Democratic Society. Local chapters of organizations such as Suffragists' remnants-era groups, lesbian feminist collectives like Daughters of Bilitis descendants, and community service groups based near Harlem and Greenwich Village also contributed.

The 1970 Strike Events

On August 26, 1970, demonstrations occurred in New York City with a central march and rally, alongside parallel actions in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Washington, D.C., Detroit, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Seattle, Portland (Oregon), Atlanta, Baltimore, Newark, New Jersey, Buffalo, New York, Rochester, New York, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Missouri, Cincinnati, New Orleans, Birmingham, Alabama, Jackson, Mississippi, and Houston. Demonstrators marched past landmarks like Statue of Liberty-adjacent plazas and gathered at venues comparable to Lincoln Center and public parks. Speakers invoked historical struggle threads tracing to the Seneca Falls Convention, memorialized by references to activists connected to Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, while contemporary organizers cited connections to events such as the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and protests at Walnut Street Theatre-adjacent sites. Actions included workplace walkouts, symbolic sit-ins, teach-ins outside universities like Columbia University, and rallies with performances from artists associated with liner connections to folk revival scenes linked to Greenwich Village.

Goals and Demands

Organizers articulated demands addressing legal equality and social supports: ratification and federal enforcement of the Equal Rights Amendment; expansion of protections beyond those enumerated in statutes such as the Equal Pay Act of 1963; creation of federally supported childcare akin to proposals discussed in hearings before committees of the United States Congress; access to reproductive health services discussed in forums referencing decisions like Griswold v. Connecticut; representation of women in institutions such as United Nations delegations and corporate boards modeled on governance debates at Sears and General Motors; and elimination of discriminatory hiring practices in industries represented by unions like United Steelworkers and federations such as American Federation of Teachers.

Media Coverage and Public Response

Coverage by major outlets reflected tension between sympathetic platforms and critical commentary: reporters from organizations like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and wire services such as Associated Press and United Press International attended the New York actions; television reporters from networks analogous to National Broadcasting Company, Columbia Broadcasting System, and American Broadcasting Company broadcast footage. Commentary appeared in periodicals including Time (magazine), Newsweek, The New Yorker, and alternative presses like The Village Voice and feminist publications linked to Ms. (magazine) contributors. Public response ranged from endorsement from figures in labor leadership at chapters of AFL–CIO and civil libertarians associated with American Civil Liberties Union to criticism from conservative organizations like National Review-aligned commentators and social conservative voices in regional outlets. Polling and opinion discourse in forums such as congressional hearings reflected debates reminiscent of earlier controversies involving Equal Rights Amendment debates and court rulings like Roe v. Wade that later influenced reproductive rights coverage.

Impact and Legacy

The strike heightened visibility for National Organization for Women and allied groups including Redstockings, National Black Feminist Organization, and local coalitions in urban centers such as New York City and Chicago. It contributed to renewed activism around ratification campaigns for the Equal Rights Amendment and spurred institutional changes in workplaces at corporations such as AT&T and universities like Harvard University and Yale University to examine hiring and pay practices. The movement influenced later advocacy by organizations including National Women's Political Caucus and inspired cultural responses in literature and media connected to authors like Adrienne Rich and filmmakers engaged with feminist themes at festivals associated with Sundance Film Festival-precursor circuits. Scholars at institutions such as Smith College and Barnard College subsequently integrated study of the event into curricula alongside archival collections held by repositories like Schlesinger Library and Library of Congress. The strike's blend of grassroots tactics and policy demands shaped trajectories of Second-wave feminism and set precedents for later demonstrations by feminist networks engaging with legislative processes and electoral politics.

Category:Women's rights protests Category:1970 protests