8.10 20th-Century Feminism

Second-Wave Feminism Emerges

After WWII, women who had gained workplace and voting roles were pushed back into domestic life. In the 1960s-70s, second-wave feminism arose, demanding equal pay, reproductive rights, and an end to legal discrimination. Simone de Beauvoir's *The Second Sex* (1949) argued gender roles were socially constructed, influencing this movement across Europe.

Legal and Social Gains

European feminists pushed for reproductive rights (contraception, abortion access), divorce reform, and workplace protections. Countries expanded women's legal equality — Britain's Equal Pay Act (1970), France's legalization of abortion (1975) under Simone Veil. Feminist movements varied by nation, shaped by Cold War divisions, religion, and existing labor conditions.

Diversity and Debate within Feminism

Feminism was not monolithic: Western feminists often focused on personal liberation and workplace equity, while Eastern Bloc women faced state-mandated employment alongside domestic burdens (the double burden). Debates emerged over whether equality meant sameness with men or recognition of difference, foreshadowing later intersectional critiques.

Key terms

Second-wave feminism

A 1960s-70s feminist movement focused on legal equality, reproductive rights, equal pay, and challenging domestic gender roles.

Simone de Beauvoir

French philosopher and author of The Second Sex (1949), arguing gender roles are socially constructed.

Simone Veil

French politician who championed the 1975 law legalizing abortion in France.

The double burden

Term describing women in the Eastern Bloc who worked full-time jobs while still performing most household labor.

Equal Pay Act (1970, Britain)

British legislation aimed at ending wage discrimination between men and women doing similar work.

Try an AP-style question

Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex argued that…

1. gender roles are fixed
2. womanhood is socially constructed
3. women should not work
4. women are naturally inferior