The Peace Corps is a unique American experiment in international development, and its progress has mirrored the times from the euphoric 60s, through the difficult 70s, and into the more professional, pragmatic 80s. The climate of protest and of righting wrongs that pervaded the 1960s was ideal for the feminist revival as women became unhappy with their role in social movements such as civil rights for blacks and other minorities and the protest against the war in Vietnam and learned to work for women;;s rights and sex equality. I plan to examine the history of the Peace Corps to see if it is really an Equal Opportunity Employer offering equality and a chance to serve as indicated by its first Director, Sargent Shriver. (Shriver, 1986:19) I will examine the literature on women in the Peace Corps to see if there was a movement within the Peace Corps seeking equal treatment and protesting discrimination by gender. The Peace Corps was created on March 1, 1961, which brought it into existence at the time of social movements and campus unrest; in fact, the Peace Corps was growing at a fantastic rate when the seminar on women;;s issues, which is credited with being the first women;;s liberation group, was held in 1967 at the campus of the University of Chicago. (Editorial Research Reports, 1973:15) I will interview ten women Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and ask them about the whole experience of joining Peace Corps. In discussing the interviews, I will show if the Peace Corps really offered an equal opportunity for them, how they were viewed in the host country, and if the prevailing attitude in the United States presented a problem for them when they returned. I will present a summary of what the Volunteers are doing at this time, which makes a comment on their Peace Corps service and on the Women’s Movement.
PDF
download
878987797
028-85220240
