Second-Wave Feminism: New 1

Zealand in the 1970s

Second-Wave Feminism: New Zealand in the 1970s

Whitney Johnson

University of Otago

GEND101

Annabel Cooper

11 April 2020
Second-Wave Feminism: New 2
Zealand in the 1970s

Abstract

Feminism is not a new concept. It is one that resonates differently with almost everyone you talk

to. Some believe feminists to be a group of extremists while others believe that they are simply

concerned with the rights of women. No matter the assumption, feminists set the bar for us. We

are currently living in a world that they are responsible for shaping. All the issues we know and

concern ourselves with in the modern day are an extension of what they have worked so hard to

achieve. Something that needs explaining is that feminism cannot be summed up in one

particular movement or time period. It is something that has progressed, and continues to

progress, over time. First-wave feminism led to second-wave feminism, and finally third-wave

feminism. Each wave was concerned will different core ideas and values but each wave was

only possible because of the last. In this particular paper, we will be discussing second-wave

feminism in New Zealand in the 1970s. We will discuss what was achieved and how it

ultimately ties into what we know to be true today.

Second-Wave Feminism: New 3
Zealand in the 1970s

Background

Feminism is seen by some as a radical approach to issues surrounding women’s rights.

For example, one of the first things that comes to mind is the 'Free the Nip' campaign in which

women, and anyone else who supports the cause, protest the idea that women are expected to

wear a bra and that the failure to do so is seen as an indecent act. You can see images and videos

of these rallying women wearing no bras, and sometimes even no tops in an effort to get their

point across. This may seem like a very specific issue to be targeting, but that goes to show that

we have come a long way. It shows that issues such as this, which are still issues but most

certainly are not as important as the issue of voting or equal rights, are able to be addressed now.

I believe we are currently on the fourth-wave of feminism, though there are some that

believe there have only been three waves, where we are aiming to empower women and give

them the tools they need to succeed on an individual level. We are working on acceptance and

making sure everyone feels comfortable in their own skin. Again, these are important priorities

but they are only coming to light because we have worked through several waves of feminism

issues prior to what we are addressing in the modern day.

To focus on a particular time period, we will look at New Zealand in the 1970s, when the

second-wave of feminism was getting underway. We will take a look at how this movement

changed New Zealand and reshaped certain ideas that are the foundation of what we know today.
Second-Wave Feminism: New 4
Zealand in the 1970s

Feminism in New Zealand

First-wave feminism emerged in New Zealand in the later part of the nineteenth century.

The topics of focus during this time were equal rights for women, inequality in politics,

employment, marriage, and education. As was the issue with first-wave feminist movements

across the world, the women of New Zealand felt that they could be equal to men if given the

chance. At this time, a woman’s place was in the home with the children while the men were

working to provide for them and ultimately colonizing the newly discovered country of New

Zealand.

Second-wave feminism, our focus in this paper, came underway in the 1970s. It was also

referred to as the Women’s Liberation Movement, and it aimed to spread awareness about how

women were equal to but different than men and deserved to be recognized in such a way. This

realisation was brought to light when women gained the right to enter the workforce but were

held to the same standard as men, when in reality they still played a dominant role in home life

and childcare. They could not be held to this double standard placed on them, hence the need for

second-wave feminism. The end of the war magnified the issue because the women who had

been taking the men’s places in the workforce were expected to return to domestic life. By this

point, they had gotten a taste of freedom and independence, which was not easy to give up. This

expectation of women to return home turned attention to gaining the right to make their own

decisions and not feel the need or pressure to give into others’ expectations of them.
Second-Wave Feminism: New 5
Zealand in the 1970s

Second-Wave Gets Underway

Women’s liberation groups of the 1970s addressed specific issues such as equal pay,

social roles like the ones mentioned above, and the overall right for women to have complete

control over their body when it comes to fertility, appearance, or commercial exploitation.

Committees were set up around this time specifically for the purposes of fighting for women’s

rights. It was the first time in history that a recognised attempt to speak out on behalf of these

issues took place. The Ministry of Women’s Affairs was the first to publicly recognise what

needed to be done to help the women of New Zealand. They highlighted issues of inequality and

discriminatory differences based on gender.

To briefly generalize; second-wave feminism came about as a result of women desiring

to possess the right to choose what was best for them in both their professional and personal

lives. Professionally speaking, women fought for the removal of men’s only occupations and

gained some ground when the Equal Pay Act of 1972 was passed. This ensured that male and

female workers would be paid equally, and it would be based on skill and work as opposed to

gender. As with any new rule that comes into play, certain employers tried to find ways around

the act but in the end, it needed to be upheld and those that refused would need to amend their

actions. This equal pay blurred the lines of gender roles in the workplace and as the years went

on, women started to occupy roles that were previously male dominated. It took time but as the

years progressed, women were able to fan out in the working world and were rarely denied

opportunities based on sex. Even with this victory came the realization that women were still

inherently expected to handle most of the duties at home along with childcare.
Second-Wave Feminism: New 6
Zealand in the 1970s

On a more personal level, women wanted control of their own bodies. They felt they

deserved the right to choose what happened with their bodies and, more importantly, when or if

they wanted to start a family. As we already know, women were expected to stay home and take

care of the domestic side of life, so it only makes sense that they get a say in when that happens.

This led to a push for these sorts of rights and became successful in 1977 when parliament

passed the Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion act. This act allowed women to have some

sort of control over their bodies. As with the last act discussed, there were imperfections with

this one as well. Women were required to meet certain specifications in order to be able to go

through with an abortion, which sometimes complicated the process or made it impossible.

Though progress was being made, there were already major flaws that would need to be

readdressed in the future.

Another success of the 1970s was the Domestic Purposes Benefit. This was passed in

1973 and it allowed for financial help for single parents. This furthered women’s independence

when it came to relying on men to provide for the family. This, combined with the previously

mentioned Equal Pay Act of 1972, gave women the means to provide for their family in a way

that no longer necessitated men to a high degree.

Politics also took a turn in the when the Women’s Electoral Lobby was founded in 1975.

It helped to integrate women into the political arena, specifically into women’ rights issues.

Finally, women had a say in how their own issues would be handled.
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Zealand in the 1970s

In Conclusion

As mentioned in the opening paragraph: third-wave feminism and the issues associated

with it is only possible because of what was addressed in the waves prior. First-wave feminism

tackled the big issues of equality and general acceptance, second-wave feminism focused on

integration and the right to choose for yourself, and third-wave feminism is focusing on

reimagining the ideas of gender and what it means to occupy a specific role. As we discussed

earlier in our tutorials, people still struggle with gender roles and duties of home and family and I

do not foresee this being an issue that is quick to disappear. There will always be those that are

slow to adopt new ways of thinking and progressing.

We have also been talking in tutorials about our rights and attitudes compared to our

mother’s rights and attitudes and so on and so forth. I think we will always have a bit of a lag

between generations and the older will not always see eye to eye or agree with the younger, but

we are living in progressive times. First-wave feminism really set the foundation for everything

we have and desire to have. We are building off of what and who came before us and will

continue to do so for generations and generations into the future. It will be interesting to see

what issues are addressed as time goes on, but it is important to remember that no issue is less

significant than those that came before it. We are all here for the same reasons and it will always

be important to fight for what you believe.

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Zealand in the 1970s

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