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The issue of equality _____ women in British society first attracted national attention ____ the early 20th century, when the suffragettes won ____ women the right ____ vote. In the 1960s feminism (the belief that women and men are equal ____ abilities and should have equal rights and opportunities) became the subject of intense debate when the women's lib movement encouraged women to 'burn their bras'; to reject their traditional supporting role and to demand equal status and equal rights _____ men in areas such as employment and pay. Since then, the gender gap ______ the sexes has been reduced. The Equal Pay Act of 1970, for instance, made it illegal for women to be paid less than men ______ doing the same work, and in 1975 the Sex Discrimination Act aimed to prevent either sex having an unfair advantage when applying ____ jobs. Women now have much better employment opportunities than formerly, though they still tend to get less well-paid jobs than men, and very few are appointed to top jobs _____ industry.
Many feminists believe that there is still a long way to go before women are treated as equals. Some men, however, believe that the balance has already swung too far ____ favour of women. The Equal Opportunities Commission, to which people can appeal if they think they have been unfairly treated, now gets nearly as many complaints ______ men as _____ women.
The battle _______ feminist and traditional views _____ a woman's role continues. It is widely accepted ________ younger people that women should, if they wish, be allowed to develop their careers and not give up work when they have a family. But others, particularly ______ the older generation, complain that women today do not place enough importance _____ the roles of mother and homemaker and blame them ________ the breakdown of family life.
In the US the movement that is often called the 'first wave of feminism' began in the mid 1800s. Susan B Anthony worked _______ the right to vote, Margaret Sanger wanted to provide women ________ the means of contraception so that they could decide whether or not to have children, and Elizabeth Blackwell, who had to fight for the chance to become a doctor, wanted women to have greater opportunities to study. Many feminists were interested ____ other social issues.
The second wave of feminism began in the 1960s. Women like Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem became associated ____ the fight to get equal rights and opportunities for women ______ the law. An important issue was the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which was intended to change the Constitution. Although the ERA was not passed there was progress in other areas. It became illegal for employers, schools, clubs, etc. to discriminate _______ women. But women still find it hard to advance _______ a certain point in their careers, the so-called glass ceiling that prevents them from having high-level jobs. Many women also face _____ the problem of the second shift, i.e. the household chores.
In the 1980s feminism became less popular in the US and there was less interest ____ solving the remaining problems, such as the fact that most women still earn much less than men. But American women have more opportunities than anyone thought possible 30 years ago. One of the biggest changes is in how people think. Although there is still discrimination, the principle that it should not exist is widely accepted.
Feminism has brought about many changes in the English language. Many words for job titles that included 'man' have been replaced, for example 'police officer' is used instead ____ 'policeman' and 'chairperson' _____ 'chairman'. 'He' is now rarely used to refer ____ a person when the person could be either a man or a woman. Instead he/she, or sometimes (s)he, is preferred. The title Ms is used ____ women instead of 'Miss' or 'Mrs.', since it does not show whether a woman is married or not.
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