ABSTRACT
The contemporary women's movement has had important historical antecedents for— example, the suffragette movement— and other social movements. The non-married status was a temporary condition preceding marriage, an unfortunate consequence of marital disruption, or an inevitable and regrettable condition arising from the death of a spouse and the longevity of women. Women's groups took advantage by staging media events such as the protest of the 1968 Miss America pageant during which bras, girdles, and false eyelashes were thrown into a trash can and a sheep was crowned Miss America. As a growing number of women became sensitized to women's issues and the existence of the movement, they swelled the ranks of women's groups. The clash between conservative women and the women's movement was precipitated by the drive to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. Women's studies formed by feminists in campus communities as a voluntary activity were being incorporated into the regular college curriculum.
