Survival in the Doldrums: The American Women's Rights Movement, 1945 to the 1960s

Abstract

This is the first book to explore the persistence of the American women's rights movement in a period generally considered devoid of feminist activism, and to show the ways in which the more radical movement of the 1960s was influenced by the successes and failures of the 1950s activities. Focusing on women who saw themselves as heirs of the suffrage movement and who were, in many cases, actual participants in that original campaign, the authors have conducted extensive interviews and searched through rare letters and memoirs to reclaim the lost history of this period of American feminism. They reveal that such pioneers as Alice Paul, Florence Kitchelt, and Alma Lutz were not subverted or overwhelmed by the 'feminine mystique' of the 1950s, but rather maintained their commitment by building a supportive community of mostly white, middle- and upper-class, like-minded women. Sociologists; those interested in women's studies.