Contemporary Western European Feminism

Abstract

No one can deny that the phenomenon of 'social movements' of the post-World War II era created a unique constellation in human history. The movements of the 1950s and 1960s, which we now consider 'classical' movements, were followed at once by yet another set of movements of the 1970s and 1980s, of which the women's movements are a part. Not only were these 'new' movements numerous but they often were of a similar kind. This raises questions about the political culture, the social, economic and moral norms of the societies in which they occurred. Some writers of the 1970s and 1980s have begun to consider the implications of these but much remains to be done and written on the subject. This book deals extensively and exclusively with the women's movements of western Europe. It probes their history and context, their strategies, structures and their culture. The questions that were of particular interest to me were concerned with the possibilities and limits of protest. What were the claims women made? How did they go about getting heard? Did governments take note of their stated aims and needs? What was the role of governments? Did they initiate reform, or did they do so only as a result of the mobilisation of dissent? And if governments undertook reforms, have they made a difference in everyday life for women? Is the very notion of formal equality being translated into practice? What do the statistics describing the social status of women tell us? How do these observations connect with the more elusive issues of a new consciousness and perhaps a new identity for women?