Abortions were a convenient way to keep women locked into the workforce. There could be no escape from wageslaving. Now that the population is in the shitter, they criminalize abortion.
That's at least a tertiary factor in "freeing" women.
1. The creation of domestic appliances that dramatically shorten house hold chores (washing clothing is a main one).
2. The move from the bulk of work labour being less physical.
Both meant there was less time needed to maintain a household, previously that was a full time job that seemed unpaid. And that women had suitable roles available in the work force where as manual labour would mean they likely couldn't compete with men for employment.
While society gained extra productivity from these changes, it's debatable if households gained financially as it was likely a powerful force in the mid century inflation.
I'd place centralised schooling in that list of things which freed up more labour. Contraceptives are recognised for this too, and I'm sure it lead to a sexual liberation at least.
Indeed. A household with a single wage earner will have a lot more free time. Its not just cleaning and cooking, it's paying bills, organising holidays, going shopping, arranging events/parties, socialising with neighbours, taking kids places, birthday cards/presents, keeping up with local council issues to be able to vote sensibly... the list goes on.
Honestly, given where the productivity gains of women in the workforce went (not to the actual workers), we'd probably have a better quality of life if only half the household adults worked.
Wages stagnate when there are an abundance of workers and a shortage of jobs. Corporations don't care about empowerment of women they care about keeping wages down across the board.
It's why they were offering women several thousand dollars in reimbursements to travel for an abortion. Those employers were unwilling to provide the same amount to women who wanted to keep their baby.
Good question really, I suppose it depends if having had an abortion is a crime. I've only peripherally followed the news but i think some places do want to make it a crime.
Disingenuous. Contraception and abortions freed women from being locked into patriarchal family structures (see the thousands of years of history where women were passed from father, to brother, to husband with no choice in the matter).
Not entirely, but it is a contributing factor: Women aren't suck having children and stuck staying with some guy because she can't support herself. It isn't the only benefit nor the only outcome of having these - we've had different sorts of abortion and imperfect contraception for thousands of years. Women are still stuck in such societies. Safe contraception and safe abortions keep women from dying. Women are able to have fewer children, spaced further apart, making for healthier women and healthier children - even in such traditional societies, assuming folks have access to these things.
1. The creation of domestic appliances that dramatically shorten house hold chores (washing clothing is a main one).
2. The move from the bulk of work labour being less physical.
Both meant there was less time needed to maintain a household, previously that was a full time job that seemed unpaid. And that women had suitable roles available in the work force where as manual labour would mean they likely couldn't compete with men for employment.
While society gained extra productivity from these changes, it's debatable if households gained financially as it was likely a powerful force in the mid century inflation.
I'd place centralised schooling in that list of things which freed up more labour. Contraceptives are recognised for this too, and I'm sure it lead to a sexual liberation at least.