-The operating theory was that female candidates could close the fundraising gap that they often faced, if they were able to show that they had substantial that financial backing. Since it was funded 35 years ago, it has helped 1,300 women get elected to federal, state and local offices.

-During the 1986 election cycle, the organization endorsed and gave funding to Barbara Mikulski, who was running for U.S. Senate. She went on to win the election that year and each re-election until her retirement at the end of 2016.

The second wave began critiquing patriarchal institutions and brought attention to issues of domestic violence and marital rape. During this period rape crisis shelters and women's shelters opened and changes in custody and divorce laws were made.

• Third wave (1990s) - intersectionality (how different kinds of oppression ie. gender and race intertwine)

• Fourth wave (2012) - focussing on sexual harassment, body shaming and rape culture.

**The rights that were developed did not help all women as in the 80’s there was a difference in women’s freedom depending on your race.

• Wages in 1989- white women working full time made weekly wage $334 compared to black women making $301 and Latina women making $269 (Maria in 9-5). It was hard for all women, but it was even harder for a non-white woman.

• Women became more powerful and wanted to work and make their own wage.

• Families were getting smaller as women wanted more time to work.

• Even though women’s rights did have a huge positive development, they were still seen as below and second class to men.

• The 80’s was a time where it could be seen that a woman could be capable of being more successful than a man depending on their skills and job, which the men had a hard time dealing with.

• Magazines and advertisement began to show women working with men.

• Some women were able to have positions that were above men, but still a distinctive amount of women who had low pay jobs.

• Men took advantage of the women in the workplace.

Education:

• More women than men were earning bachelors degrees and women’s pay was gaining ground (according to national centre for educational statistics).

• Women made up half graduates from masters programs.

• Women were provided the same education as men.

• Due to women becoming more educated their salaries began to increase in relation to mens salaries.

**Equal credit opportunity act in 1974 allowed women to get a credit card separate from their husbands. This continued to develop and in 80’s allowed women to have more career opportunities and financial freedom.

Similarities :

• Equality legalisations were made so that women could return to work after their maternity leave. This is still an option for women nowadays.

• Men were on high salaries than women even for working the same job. This is still seen in some industries to this day.

Differences:

• Women were declined from traditional manufacturing industries. This is when part time employment became more known and the women got involved in, including jobs like cleaning, hairdressing and office work. This is because it fitted more into their schedules that was expected of a women in the 80’s to work for some time and then come home and take care of the children and complete household duties. Present day women don’t have that expectation anymore and have freedom to work the jobs and hours that suit them.

• Even though women had the right to work they did not always have the right to the hours they could work, wages, holiday and breaks.

**Second wave feminism- 45% of women were in the labour work force but men were still seen as head of the household and brought most of the income.

• Women fought for injustices such as, rape, reproductive rights, domestic violence and workplace harassment.

People fought for women’s equal rights to allow women to be have an education, to be able to vote, have an equal pay check to men and be allowed to buy their own house.

Rights is something you should be entitled to and not have taken away from you. It isn’t seen as a privilege as this is something that has to be earned.

Equal rights are defined as someone's legal right to be treated equally, whatever your age, sex, race.

In the 1900's women had to fight to have equal rights and the right to live free from violence and discrimination. They also fought to enable themselves to enjoy the highest standard of physical and mental health, to be educated, to own property, to vote and to earn an equal wage. Although things have developed in the last 40 years there is still a divide between men and women.

What is Sexism?

Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on sex or gender, especially against women and girls. The term sexism emerged from the “second-wave” feminism of the 1960s through '80s. Sexism is something women in the 80's were trying to change as part of the wave of feminism.

Sexism in the 80's

Examples were often seen in media, especially in newspapers, articles and magazines. In 1985 a group of women protested against art they deemed ‘pornographic’ and ‘objectifying’, which was being shown at the Tomi Ungerer exhibition at the Royal Festival Hall.

Another example of sexism was found in magazine adverts, including one saying ‘it is a woman’s prerogative to change her mind – why not her make-up’. We found many outdated adverts encouraging women to lose weight and look pretty. In the 1980s there was a division between the way some women were portrayed in the media and the way women wanted to be portrayed.

Sexism is still present today however we have seen significant change since the 1980's. The equal rights act (1970) has caused significant change and pay rates are now seen to be equal pay for work of equal value. However, this does not mean women are always paid equally...

Examples of modern day Sexism in the Workplace

• The practice of unofficially excluding women who have children from career opportunities

• In meetings, ignoring women, appropriating their contributions or silencing them

• Favouring a man rather than a woman for a managerial position by presuming her lack of authority

• Gratuitous comments about physical appearance or dress (which undermine women as professionals)

• Derogatory comments to men taking on caring roles

• “Mansplaining”

Examples of modern day Sexism in the Media

• A sexualised depiction of women in the media.

• An all-male TV show

• Media reporting on violence against women which blames the victim

• Journalists, most often women, receiving comments on social media based on their appearance instead of the issues they discuss

• Internet applications sending some job adverts to men only because algorithms are built in a discriminatory way

by 1984, 43% of people supported the gendered separation of roles. The man being the “Breadwinner” and the woman being the “Carer” as this was a social tradition. In 1013 it was stated that 13% of people still believe in gendered separation.

In 1987, 36% of the public thought woman should prioritise their “caring” role over having a job. This dropped to 26% by 2012, which is considerably a small change.

Gloria Steinem

American journalist and activist

Mother of feminism leading the second wave feminism.

Malala Yousafzai

Education activist

Youngest Nobel Prize laureate

Margaret Thatcher

Britains First female Prime Minister

Marie Stopes

Sex educator

Established Britain’s first birth control clinic one 1921

Florence Nightingale

Founder of modern day nursing

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Woman’s rights activist

Second female justice of the US Supreme Court

Margaret Brent

The first woman who demanded the right to vote

Sally Ride

The first American woman to fly to space

Third woman overall

Helen Keller

First deaf-blind woman to write a book