Societal Changes

● The feminist movement built on successes of the suffrage movement to fight for
social and economic parity between genders
○ Women first gained the right to vote in New Zealand, Australia, and
Finland, while British and American women won the right to vote after
1920
○ Women continued to fight for jobs outside their traditional image, and
began to create a new image with changing fashion and popular culture
○ Both world wars allowed women to work in traditionally male jobs and
gave them more power as wage-earners, but they struggled to maintain
this power at the end of the wars
○ The feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s publicized issues of child
care and equal pay for equal work
○ While women have taken on roles as heads of government in countries
like Britain and Israel, many women still struggle for equality in politics,
law, and medicine
● The sexual revolution redefined gender roles as well
● Access to birth control allowed women more control over their reproductive lives,
and women began to challenge the institution of marriage and bear children
while unmarried
● Countries in the developing world experienced various changes to gender roles,
as well
● Some socialist and communist countries instituted legal reforms for women, but
traditional beliefs still existed
● Literacy rates for women in many areas of the world, including South Asia, are
still far below those of men, despite having powerful female heads of state
● Several countries dealt with booming populations in various ways
● China established a one-child policy, preventing around 250 million births and
rescuing the country from a challenging population increase
● New forms of spirituality emerged in the late 20th century, and others applied
specific ideas from existing religions to modern-day problems
● New Age religions drew inspiration from Eastern and Western traditions and
combined them with self-help psychology
● Liberation theology developed within the Catholic Church as a response to Latin
American poverty the teachings of Jesus Christ are seen as a vehicle for
liberation from unjust conditions
Globalizing Culture
● As the world becomes more connected, cultural boundaries blur between
countries, leading to cultural conformity
● Western companies and entertainment have spread worldwide, leading to what
some term cultural imperialism
● American companies like McDonald's and Coca-Cola are globalized
● Western ideas of materialism and consumerism have spread, as well, though
they clash with more traditional cultures and ideas in many countries
● The English language is used in many countries, transmitted through
entertainment and the Internet
● Cultural diffusion also exists between countries
● Global media allowed Bollywood, or Indian cinema, to spread throughout the
world
● Sports have become internationalized through the Olympics and the World Cup
Soccer matches