Equal Rights for Women

1. Shirley Chisholm—Washington, D.C., May 21, 1969 Equal Rights for Women

2. What is Chisholm’s PURPOSE for giving this speech? Why is Shirley Chisholm giving this speech? A. To address the need for women to have better jobs B. To address the need to pass the Equal Rights Amendment C. To address the need for women to attend college D.. To address the need for women to be more aggressive in demanding their rights Great job! In paragraph 12 Chisholm directly states, “…I wish to introduce a proposal that has been before every Congress for the last 40 years and that sooner or later must become part of the basic law of the land—the Equal Rights Amendment. Yes, Chisholm is arguing that women are capable of holding better jobs. But, what is her specific purpose? Chisholm is actually acknowledging that women already attend college. But again, what is her specific purpose? Hint Chisholm explains that there is now an awareness of this problem, but what is her ultimate goal in presenting this speech?

3. Hint How does Chisholm contrast the current status of the women’s rights movement to the fight for racial equality? A. She explains that both groups are different and inferior She provides statistics to demonstrate how few women hold higher level jobs in the work force B. C. She explains prejudice against blacks is becoming unacceptable, which is not the case for prejudice against women. EXCELLENT! In paragraph 7, Chisholm explains, “There is very little understanding yet of the immorality involved in double pay scales and the classification of most of the better jobs as ‘for men only.’” Although the statistics are an important part of Chisholm’s argument, she does not use these statistics to contrast both movements. Yes, she makes this argument. However, what does she go on to say about the differences between these two groups? Refer to paragraph 7, what is different between prejudice against blacks versus prejudice against women?

4. Chisholm provides evidence that suggests that women are in fact not treated equally as far as employment opportunities are concerned. A. How does Chisholm disprove the argument that “women are already protected under the law and do not need legislation”? B. Chisholm argues that current legislation has prevented women from being elected to Congress. She explains that women have many opportunities to become “secretaries, librarians, and teachers.” C. Correct! Chisholm supports her argument by stating in paragraph 13, that there is a large “concentration of women in lower paying, menial, unrewarding jobs,” and that there is an “incredible scarcity in upper level jobs.” Close, but Chisholm is using this evidence to show that women ARE LIMITED to certain professions. Hint Nice try, but Chisholm gave this speech as the first female Congresswoman. Refer to paragraph 13, what argument does Chisholm make about existing laws?

5. A. Not all women fit the stereotype that men have created for them. The Equal Rights Amendment is necessary. Chisholm uses the line, “The happy little homemaker […]” (P5) in order to support her argument that… B. Hint C. Women are satisfied with their current position in society. Wonderful! Chisholm uses that line in order to demonstrate that some women wish to pursue positions such as, “managers, administrators, doctors, lawyers” rather than homemakers, or librarians. You’ve identified the overall purpose of Chisholm’s speech, but focus on what she is trying to prove by using the idea of the happy little homemaker. Think about what Chisholm is trying to say when she questions, “Why is it acceptable for women to be secretaries, librarians, and teachers, but totally unacceptable for them to be managers, administrators, doctor, lawyers, and Members of Congress? Do all women fit the category of “happy little homemaker”?

6. A. “[…] women haven’t be aggressive in demanding their rights.” “They [women] submitted to oppression and even cooperated with it.” Which of the following details supports Chisholm’s statement, “Considering that there are about 3 ½ million more women in the United States than men, this situation is outrageous” (P9)? B. Hint C. “[…] women occupy only 2 percent of the managerial positions.” You’re not quite there yet. What is Chisholm trying to do with the statistics in paragraph 8? Good try, but what is the purpose of paragraph 9? How does paragraph 8 support the statement that Chisholm is making in paragraph 9? Refer back to paragraph 8 and consider the statistics that Chisholm provides. Great! This statistic demonstrates what Chisholm is trying to show. How is it possible that there are more women in the U.S., yet they hold so few managerial positions?