ABSTRACT
This chapter examines second-wave feminism, primarily in Britain, during the 1970s and 1980s. The contributions of working-class women, black women and lesbians to feminist activism and the development of feminist thought are considered, and the reasons for their neglect within existing scholarship are explained. The chapter develops two main arguments while explaining the aims and achievements of second-wave feminism. First, the author examines feminists’ understanding of who women are and what unites them. The author shows that we should not assess second-wave feminism according to whether it created consensus among women about the relationship between sex, class and race. Instead, one of the feminists’ achievements was in fostering and supporting disagreement and debate, which enabled the ongoing theorisation and enactment of ‘the personal is political’. The chapter also discusses the importance of single-sex spaces. It highlights how feminists evolved ideas about where single-sex spaces were required and sought to establish these.
The legal, political and social achievements of second-wave feminists are outlined. By looking beyond the metropolitan core of consciousness-raising groups, we can better understand the widespread achievements of feminists during the 1970s and 1980s.
