Feminism: A Grassroots Movement

The women's liberation movement was a grassroots movement that involved our entire nation. It's hard for people to realize how different our country had been prior to this movement; women were denied entrance to college and universities just because they were female, women could not get credit cards in their own name, abortion was illegal, the help wanted ads in the newspapers were segregated into columns titled "female help wanted" and "male help wanted." Moreover, the concept of women's history was unknown – it was common thought that there just weren't enough women who did anything significant in our history to warrant the topic.

The successes of the women's liberation movement were tremendous. People from various backgrounds united to change our society for the better. African American women as well as Hispanic women stood together with white women in the women's liberation movement. There were core actions and organizations from 1961 through 1977 that were integral to this grassroots movement. Although the movement reached out and affected every corner of our society, Wavelength will focus on certain core events: The Commission on the Status of Women, Betty Friedan's book, The Feminine Mystique, The civil rights movement, the National Organization for Women, and "Women’s Liberation Groups."

About the Film

Wavelength presents the story of the women’s liberation movement (1965-1975) in the United States with over 30 interviews from leading feminists, historians and policy leaders.