1. Increased control over reproduction (middle to late 1900's)

Medical and legal advances dramatically improved the ability of women to control their reproduction. Early in the 1900's, Margaret Sanger of the United States aroused public controversy with her crusade to disseminate birth control information. Other significant developments in this area included introduction of the contraceptive pill in 1960 and the decision in Roe v. Wade, the ruling of the United States Supreme Court that legalized abortion in 1973. In addition to methods to limit childbearing, dramatic improvements in fertility treatments helped infertile women and enabled older women to extend their childbearing years.

 

Janet Z. Giele is a Professor of Sociology in the Heller School for Social Welfare at Brandeis University. She focused on the field of women's movements in the 1900's. This Top 10 list celebrates a century of achievement for women and credits the contributions of a number of outstanding women, including Margaret Sanger, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Betty Friedan, and Naomi Wolf. Susan Schantz, a Graduate Research Assistant in the Heller School for Social Welfare at Brandeis University, assisted Professor Giele in developing the list.

1.

Increased control over reproduction (middle to late 1900's)

2. The growth of woman suffrage (throughout the 1900's)
3. Social assistance and insurance for women (throughout the 1900's)
4.

The influence of World War II (1939-1945)

5. The rise of the female athlete (middle to late 1900's)
6. The publication of The Feminine Mystique (1963)
7. The impact of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
8. The failure of the Equal Rights Amendment (late 1900's)
9. Rising education rates (throughout the 1900's)
10. Rise of the third wave of women's movements (late 1900's)