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The United Nations declared 1975 as International Women's year and the official anthem was Helen Reddy's "I am Woman," but it was a premature celebration. Feminism was still in its formative years, and while women were making gains, there was still a long way to go.
The modern – or second – feminist movement began in the 1960s when The Feminine Mystique written by Betty Friedan was published and lasted for roughly two decades. She was one of the 28 founders of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1966.
Women's Liberation – that’s what the movement was called then – activists Gloria Steinem and Dorothy Pitman Hughes co-founded Ms. Magazine in 1972. The movement caught on and grew in leaps and bounds in the US and spread to other western countries.
In the early days, the women’s movement was primarily focused on discrimination against women. That's because, in 1960, women's freedom was severely limited and being a black woman made the issue even worse. Women couldn't get their own credit cards, serve on a jury, had limited access to birth control, and there wasn't any workplace equality. It really was a man’s world, and something had to change.
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) which ensured that “equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex” was approved by Congress in 1972, but the approval came with a deadline. The amendment needed 38 states to ratify it by 1979. Thirty-five states ratified the ERA before the deadline, which was extended to 1982, but it ultimately didn’t receive the number of votes needed. So even today, only women's right to vote is protected.
And just like the earlier social justice causes like the labor movement, the suffragettes, and the civil rights movement, the women's movement also had their songs that unified women and helped spread the message of discrimination and the need for equality. Here is a list of eight iconic feminist anthems:
1. Helen Reddy - I Am Woman
This song is an enduring anthem of the women's movement and was recorded by the Australian singer Helen Reddy on her debut album in Many 1971 and then as a single in 1972. It became a number-one hit and sold over a million songs.
2. Aretha Franklin - Respect
This song was written by Otis Redding in 1965, but Aretha Franklin the queen of soul's 1967 version switched the role of the sexes and changed it into the classic feminist anthem of all time. Respect supported both women's rights and civil rights.
3. Lesley Gore - You Don't Own Me
This 1963 hit by 17-year old Lesley Gore has long been considered a feminist anthem. The singer tells her lover that he doesn't own her and cannot tell her what to do. It became an inspiration for young women everywhere.
4. Loretta Lynn - The Pill
The meaning of country music singer Loretta Lynn's controversial 1975 song is very straightforward. It is sung from the perspective of a woman who just gained control of her body through access to birth control.
5. Yoko Ono (with John Lennon) - Sisters O Sisters
Yoko Ono calls upon her fellow women to rise up and help their oppressed sisters in this song that appeared on her 1972 album with her husband John Lennon.
6. Dolly Parton - 9 To 5
This song by country singer and actress Dolly Parton is about the struggle of the modern working woman and all about fighting the man. The song was featured in the 1980 movie with the same title as the song.
7. Gloria Gaynor - Will Survive
This song was recorded by Gloria Gaynor in 1978 and is about a woman who finds personal strength and doesn't need a man to get by in the world. It sold 14 million copies worldwide and is still popular today as a feminist anthem and a great dance song at weddings.
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8. Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Want To Have Fun
This lighthearted and fun song about self-care and women's friendship was recorded by Cyndi Lauper in 1983 towards the end of the Women’s Liberation movement but it highlights how much was accomplished.
