On This Day in History: August 26

The 1970 Women's Strike

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The Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963, but seven years later women were still earning only 59 cents for every dollar a man made for similar work. Half a century ago, women in America mostly had four career choices: secretary, teacher, nurse, or mom. And they were pissed.

--On This Day in History, Shit Went Down: August 26, 1970--

In 1970 there were plenty of states where a woman couldn’t have a credit card, make a will, or own property unless she had a husband. To celebrate 50 years of (mostly white) women getting the vote in the U.S., feminist leaders said fuck this, we’re going on strike.

The strike was led by feminist writer Betty Friedan, author of the 1963 book The Feminine Mystique, which is credited with launching “second-wave feminism” that went beyond mere enfranchisement. The goal of the protest was to focus on current battles faced by women in America, promoting free abortion on demand, equality in the workplace, and free childcare.

Sponsored by the National Organization for Women, 50,000 people, mostly women, gathered for a protest march on August 26, 1970. At the time, it was the largest ever rally for women in the U.S. Friedan sought permission from New York City to close Fifth Avenue for the strike, but was refused.

The strike began at Bryant Park at 5 p.m. to allow working women to attend, and spilled over into the streets. Police tried to keep protesters to one lane on Fifth Ave to prevent traffic from being blocked, but there were too many people. Other supporting strikes took place in Boston (5,000 people), San Francisco (2,000), and elsewhere.

The strike actions, asking women to cover their typewriters, stop waiting tables, and do no domestic work or cooking, gained less attention than the street protests, which garnered massive media coverage, both positive and negative. CBS anchor Eric Sevareid referred to feminism as an “infectious disease” and called the protestors a “band of braless bubbleheads.” ABC anchor Howard Smith said women had nothing to be protesting over. In retaliation, the movement boycotted advertisers and ABC retracted Smith’s statement. Smith, like a modern-day men’s rights idiot, then said women were already liberated and were the ones really running things. Sure, Howard.

Interestingly, President Nixon acknowledged the movement positively. Betty Friedan said, “It exceeded my wildest dreams.” Alas, of the three primary goals of the strike, there is still much to be done to achieve them.

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