4 Ways ‘Mrs America’ Made Me Think

‘Mrs America’ is a recent series all about the Equal Rights Amendment and the feminist movement of the 1970s

Available on BBC iPlayer, this show really made me think- helping me understand the feminist movement, and shed some light on those who worked to fight against the Amendment.

The Equal Rights Amendment, which was debated in government throughout the 1970s, would have issued certain key rights to women, and the series looks at both sides of this amendment.

‘Mrs America’ centres around Phyllis Shlafly, a woman living in Illinois who mobilises the local women to fight against the Equal Rights Amendment.

She was instrumental in stopping the ratification of the E.R.A., and she uses propaganda, clever rhetoric and fear in order to mobilise the women of Illinois and stop this amendment from passing and maintain “family values”.

It’s clear that Schlafly is frustrated in her family and home life, and she uses this movement to bring her into the political limelight- and maybe even score herself a place in politics.

The irony of this is not lost on her enemies.

The show also focuses on the feminist activists of the period, such as Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan and Shirley Chisholm.

These women fought for this amendment to get ratified in all the states, experiencing ups and downs as they tried to bring women’s issues to the forefront of the government’s agenda.

During the 1970s, the feminist movement had a lot of influence- and I learned a lot about American politics, and the role of women’s rights.

It was so incredible to see actual footage of the feminist marches, events and conferences from this period.

‘Mrs America’ is a fantastic series, full of inspirational characters and interesting moments.

I thought it was a brilliant way of portraying the controversial E.R.A. and I loved that the show followed both sides of the fight.

It portrayed the women of Illinois who rallied many women to their side, thinking they were defending women’s rights in the home- as well as the women of the feminist movement, who worked tirelessly to get women the equal rights they deserved.

But the thing I loved the most about ‘Mrs America’ was how it made me think. It made me consider the feminist movement in a new light, and understand differing views to my own.

In this blog post, read 4 ways ‘Mrs America’ made me think- about my own views, about feminism and about the politics of the 1970s.

I learned about the “Stop E.R.A.” movement

Before I watched this series, I didn’t know anything about the Stop E.R.A. movement- and I didn’t realise the large role it played in stopping the E.R.A. from passing in all the states.

The Stop E.R.A. movement was led by Phyllis Shlafly.

She manages to mobilise the women of Illinois, using propaganda to strike fear in the homemakers of the area and stop the E.R.A. from being ratified in the states.

The women from Mrs America pose for the camera
Picture credits here

I thought it was incredible how Shlafly managed to persuade and lobby the women of Illinois (and eventually other states).

I don’t think I ever considered the side of those women who fought against women’s rights.

I realised the power of women

Whether you agree with the feminist movement or with Stop E.R.A., the immense power of both sides of the movement is clear.

In fact, the “Stop E.R.A.” movement really shows what can happen when women are mobilised- whether out of fear or patriotism or personal reasons- towards one common cause.

This series also shows how the women of the feminist movement worked tirelessly to get politicians to take their rights seriously.

I thought it was very upsetting to see these key figures used and tricked and talked over again and again by the men in government.

There will always be in-fighting

I think this series really showed that even when everyone is fighting for the same, common cause- there will always be in-fighting.

In the feminist movement, there were questions about which subject should be debated.

Some activists wanted to focus on abortion, some wanted to get rights for mothers and some wanted equal pay.

And there were clear divides between different races in the feminist movement- showing that the movement of the 1970s was not always inclusive, and reiterating the fact that every group has its own issues.

The same was true for the Stop E.R.A. Movement.

The women on this side slowly started to realise that they all had different priorities, and perhaps Schlafly’s actions were not in the best interest of the group.

Schlafly becomes more and more militant in her beliefs as the show progresses- and it seems she will do anything to achieve them.

Fear is a strong emotion

‘Mrs America’ really made me think about fear- and how it can be an incredible way to encourage support.

Schlafly encourages the women of Illinois to think that, should the E.R.A. be passed, women will be sent off to war, they will lose their husbands and they’ll be forced into the workplace.

Picture credits here

All these misconceptions help Schlafly mobilise these women, and the fear of change really is a big factor in the Stop E.R.A. movement.

Overall, I absolutely loved this show. I thought it was amazing to see both sides of the fight.

While I don’t agree with the Stop E.R.A. movement and its values, it was interesting to see just how many women used their voice to speak against the E.R.A.

The amendment has never been ratified in all the states, so they clearly held a lot of power.

Have you watched this series? Did ‘Mrs America’ make you think? What’s your favourite TV show at the moment?

Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below 🙂

Happy reading x

Picture credits here

67 thoughts

  6. such a great post! I just finished watching this and it is so interesting to see others fight for what we now find is the norm. And the portrayal of Phyllis was great I must admit, I spent so much time in conflict of whether I loved or hated her haha

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  7. I watched some (not all) of Mrs America and like you was so impressed. I learned a lot that I didn’t know and even if I didn’t agree with Phyllis, it was a powerful demonstration of how women could influence things back then. Great review!

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  8. Great review✨

    One of most important thing that I learned about while watching Mrs America and after it is how much the issue still play a factor today.

    How still women don’t have equal rights as men —it’s just ongoing.

    Overall, Mrs America truly showcased the power of women as you pointed, when they come together.

    A great read. x

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  9. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and reviews on this show! I’ve never actually heard of it before but I’ll definitely give it a watch after reading this!

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  26. I’ve been meaning to watch this show for ages! Cate Blanchett is one of my favourite actresses – and the topic that this show deals with is super interesting. This was a great review, and has just made me want to start watching it asap!

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  27. Wow what an excellent review. The topic is very close to me so I will certainly be adding this to my watch list. Some real big names in this and I’m glad it’s coming to the forefront of the industry!

    Rosie

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  28. Didn’t heard of this show before. I suddenly remembered the novel titled “The Selection” which the protagonist was named “America” and also have this strong female character! 😄 Loved this review. I think this is also interesting show ❤️

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  30. Hi Eleanor. This series sounds as though it was both entertaining and educational – thanks for the review. I must admit I hadn’t realised that there were any women that opposed this legislation (I assumed that all opposition would have been from men).

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  33. I would love to watch this, I hope it will become available in the USA. I recently read Gloria Steinem’s book, My Life On The Road. It was amazing to read about her experiences and remember some of these events as many of them happened when I was a child. Later I started my career working in domestic violence shelters and Gloria Steinem & other women from the National Organization of Women (NOW) played a big role in addressing this issue. It really wasn’t all that long ago that women could not even open their own checking accounts. I remember a neighbor telling me (when I was a teenager) that she was not allowed to open her own checking account until the 70s, as the banks did not allow women to open accounts on their own.

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    1. Ooh I hope so too, it’s such a fantastic watch! I really want to check out that book, especially after watching this show- and maybe The Feminine Mystique as well, by Betty Friedan 🙂 Wow that’s just insane to think about how little rights women had- and how awful some women are still treated today. Good for you for helping the problem, thanks for dropping by x

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