1. Second Wave Feminism Stuff

3. Equal pay for equal work

4. Fair employment opportunities for married women

5. Reproductive rights

6. The role of women in the home

7. Inequalities for women in defacto relationships

8. Other legal inequalities for other women in married relationships

9. Improved sexual freedomOverview

10. Second Wave Feminism In the 1960s the Women’s Liberation Movement were lobbying for better rights for woman in the workplace. At the time women were not getting equal pay for equal work of equal value. Women couldn’t work in ‘men only’ profession areas. Women were being sexually harassed and abused by there male bosses. Women couldn’t work if they were married because their job was supposed to be in the home. By 1966, women were able to continue work after marriage in the Federal public service, and in 1969 women were given equal pay for equal work. However, this did not end deep-seeded cultural attitudes towards women in Australian society, and although further progress was made during the 1970s it only became illegal to discriminate against women in 1984, after the passing of the Sex Discrimination Act.

11. Second Wave Feminism Women became more politically aware during the ‘70s. They began advocating for further equality. Reproductive rights, sexual freedom and women’s familial roles went to the top of their agenda. Although The Pill gave women a greater control over their reproduction, they were still unable to seek safe abortion under Australian Law. This caused women to seek ‘backyard abortions’ which had a very high risk involved due to them not being administered by a learned medical practitioner. Prior to the mid-60’s a woman’s role in a family household was to cook, clean and look after the children. This stigma was considered the norm in the patriarchal society that Australia once was. Second Wave Feminists protested against these restrictions.