ABSTRACT
The movement which has become known as ‘second wave feminism’ emerged in several western European countries in the late 1960s. Whereas the first wave of feminist activity was principally concerned with gaining the right to vote, by the 1960s it was clear that women were still socially and politically disadvantaged. Thus, the term ‘second wave feminism’ covers a whole variety of disparate organisations, groups and campaigns seeking to liberate women from what were perceived to be oppressive male structures and to promote genuine equality between the sexes.1 There has been much discussion about the reasons why so many women became involved in women’s protest movements at this particular time. Clearly, the activism and feminist writings of women in the United States in the early and mid1960s inspired many women in Europe.2 At the same time, peace campaigns like the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) movement in Britain and the student protest movements of the later 1960s in many west European countries drew growing numbers of women into political activism. By the mid-1960s, women had increasing access to further and higher education. Alongside growing educational opportunities, the mass marketing of labour-saving devices reduced the amount of time which needed to be spent on housework, and the growing availability of contraceptives enabled women to control their fertility and to limit family size. Furthermore, the 1960s was a time of economic growth in western Europe, and increasing numbers of women, both married and single, were drawn into employment. However, as more opportunities opened up for women, they became more aware of the discrimination they faced in the workplace and of the contradictions between the emancipated role outside the home that they were increasingly able to play and the traditional expectations which still defined a women’s place in society.
