Women’s Rights Movement Research Paper

BACKGROUND

The women’s rights movement may have begun with the 1961 President’s Commission on the Status of Women headed by Eleanor Roosevelt, which reported that women were earning at least 40 percent less than men in comparable jobs. There followed key events and legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the founding of the National Organization for Women (NOW), the introduction of the Equal Rights Amendment, and the Roe vs. Wade abortion decision. Concerned citizens continue to work toward true equality between the sexes.

BROWSE FOR BOOKS ON THE SHELF USING THESE CALL NUMBERS

305.42

301.412

LOOK UNDER THE FOLLOWING SUBJECTS IN THE CATALOG (CARD OR COMPUTER)

Women’s rights

Feminism

Feminists

Sex discrimination against women

USE PAMPHLET FILE (ALSO CALLED VERTICAL FILE) UNDER THE HEADING

Women’s rights

REFERENCE MATERIALS THAT MAY HELP (BOOKS OR CD-ROMS)

CQ Researcher, August 9, 1991; May 29, 1992; October 29, 1993.

McPhee, Carol, and Ann Fitzgerald, eds. Feminist Quotations: Voices of Rebels, Reformers and Visionaries, 1979.

Morgan, Robin, ed. Sisterhood Is Global, 1984.

General encyclopedias

PERIODICAL INDEXES TO SEARCH (BOOKS OR CD-ROMS)

EBSCO Magazine Article Summaries

InfoTrac

Newsbank and other newspaper indexes

Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature

SIRS (Social Issues Resources Series)

WILSONDISC

ONLINE DATABASES TO SEARCH

America Online

CompuServe

Dialog
Internet

Prodigy

KEY WORDS AND DESCRIPTORS FOR PERIODICAL INDEX AND ONLINE SEARCHES

Women’s movement

Women’s rights

Feminism

Sex discrimination

VIDEOTAPES ON THIS TOPIC

Rookie of the Year. Time-Life Films, 1975.

Woman and Man. Films for the Humanities, 1986.

FICTION BOOKS RELATING TO TOPIC

Hunt, Irene. Claws of a Young Century, 1983.

Tolan, Stephanie E. The Great Skinner Strike, 1983.

NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS TO CONTACT FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

MS Foundation for Women, 141 5th Ave., Ste. 6-S, New York, NY 10010.

National Organization for Women (NOW), 1000 16th St., N.W., Ste. 700, Washington, DC 20036.

National Women’s Hall of Fame, 76 Fall St., Seneca Falls, NY 13148.

SUGGESTIONS FOR NARROWING THIS TOPIC

Investigate women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, India, Japan, or other country.

Relate the history of the women’s rights movement.

Report on a contemporary woman active in women’s rights; e.g., Gloria Steinem, Germaine Greer, Betty Friedan.

Report on a historic woman active in women’s rights; e.g., Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Margaret Sanger.

Research the suffragette movement.

SUGGESTIONS FOR RELATED TOPICS

Gay rights

Rights of teenagers

Sexual harassment

Women and sports

This RESEARCH TOPIC GUIDE is intended to help the library user find information and materials on a particular topic in many sources throughout the library. Resources on this topic are not limited to those described and availability will depend upon the individual library. Feel free to ask a librarian for assistance.