The 1960's were a period of enormous social upheaval in America. The civil rights movement came to a head, the country itself was on unstable ground because of the Cold War, and the feminist movement began in earnest with the 1963 publication of Friedman's book, The Feminine Mystique. The traditional roles that men and women had held throughout Western civilization were being shaken. More and more women were working and becoming successful in previously male-dominated fields. .
The June 23rd edition of The New York Times contains an article about Susan Greenburg Wood, a photographer who was "one of the few women who (had) succeeded as a photojournalist" at the time. The article praises Mrs. Wood on her rise to the top of a male-dominated field, but is quick to point out that her job has afforded her the opportunity to meet and marry a man. And, lest the readers be confused at her marital status, the author (a woman, by the bye) hastily reassures them that "once her identity as the wife of Brendan Wood . . . is established professionally, she will drop her maiden name." This article is a very interesting examination of the clash between the dual roles many women were trying to maintain in 1962: the modern, driven career woman and the feminine, nurturing, traditional woman. Mrs. Wood is surely proud of her accomplishments, but she doesn't mention them much. She is quoted more about her reasons for enjoying fashion photography - "What woman isn't interested in clothes?" - than she is about her serious work. In fact, she downplays her success - "I"m not terribly job-interested or career-minded". .
The article about Susan Wood seems to be apologizing for the fact that she is a successful woman. There are two additional headlines for this article: "Susan Wood is One of the Few to Succeed in a Man's World" and "Freelance Job Leaves Time for Her to be "Around House"". I think that these headlines represent much of the difficulty surrounding the Feminist Movement.
