Gender equity in dental academics: Gains and unmet challenges

摘要

The need for women in academia to unite was seen in 1881, when Professors Marion Talbot and Ellen Richards founded the American Association of University Women. During this "Progressive Era", women suffragists fought for and gained the right to vote, first in New Zealand (1893) and later in the United States (1920). As this first wave of feminism grew, it was highlighted by French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir in her book Second Sex, on gender inequality in a patriarchic society (Beauvoir, 1949). Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique sparked the second wave of feminism, presenting the needs of women trapped in a life that they did not necessarily choose (Friedan, 1963). These movements culminated with The Equal Pay Act (1963) and The Equal Rights Amendment (1972), denouncing pay and sex discrimination for women, currently ratified in 35 U.S. states (113th Congress Joint Resolution 10, 2013).