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Describe the origin and nature of women's activism in the 90s.

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Final answer:

Women's activism in the 90s continued the feminist movement sparked in the 60s by the second wave of feminism, aiming to address issues like unequal division of labor and seeking social and economic equality.

Step-by-step explanation:

The 1990s saw a continuation of women's activism that had been reignited by the second wave of feminism starting in the 1960s. This movement, which originally came to life in response to confined domestic roles and limited opportunities for middle-class, educated women, advanced the idea that "the personal is political." Betty Friedan, author of "The Feminine Mystique" and the first president of the National Organization for Women (NOW), played a significant role in this resurgence.

The second wave of feminism highlighted the unequal division of labor at home, often referred to as the "second shift," which hindered women's participation in political activism. This period saw protests such as the one at the 1968 Miss America Pageant, where women demonstrated against the contest's representation of women's roles.

Moving into the 1990s, women continued to seek fuller social and economic equality. Recognizing the massive role women played in civil rights and antiwar protests, despite frequent marginalization, they pushed for progress in areas like employment discrimination, political equality, and reproductive rights.

The end of the 1960s had set the stage for continued activism with the Women's Strike for Equality, which reflected the spirit that carried forward into the following decades, empowering women to seek broader societal changes.

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