20th-Century Feminism Chapter Notes | AP European History - Grade 9 PDF Download

Introduction

The 20th and 21st centuries witnessed a remarkable evolution in women’s roles across Europe, driven by feminist movements that challenged centuries-old constraints. From domestic confinement to gaining legal, educational, and political rights, women reshaped societal norms. This chapter notes explores the transition from traditional roles to modern feminism, highlighting achievements and persistent inequalities in Western and Eastern Europe.

From Domesticity to Feminism: A Long-Term Shift

Women’s Roles Since the Renaissance

Since the Renaissance, European society restricted women to narrowly defined roles, shaped by religious and cultural expectations.

Cult of Domesticity: A 19th-century belief that idealized women as moral caretakers and homemakers, reinforcing separate spheres where women managed private life while men dominated public affairs.

The Rise of Second-Wave Feminism

• By the mid-20th century, women sought not only voting rights but comprehensive social, political, and economic equality, giving rise to second-wave feminism (1960s–1980s), which emphasized:
  • Equal compensation and workplace protections.
  • Access to higher education and professional opportunities.
  • Reproductive freedoms, including legal access to contraception and abortion.
  • Sexual liberation and control over personal autonomy.
• A key intellectual foundation was Simone de Beauvoir’s *The Second Sex* (1949), which argued that women were historically marginalized as the “other” in male-dominated societies, inspiring feminist activism and theory across Europe.

Second-Wave Feminism: A 1960s–1980s movement addressing broader issues beyond suffrage, such as gender norms, workplace disparities, reproductive rights, and sexual autonomy.

Feminism in the East and West

Western Europe experienced grassroots feminist movements, while in Eastern Europe, women navigated a communist framework that claimed gender equality but suppressed independent feminist expression.

Marriage, Reproduction, and Autonomy

Feminist advocacy and evolving cultural attitudes transformed family dynamics and reproductive choices, granting women greater personal agency through legal and technological advancements:

• Availability of oral contraceptives.
• Legalization of abortion, with varying accessibility across nations.
• Introduction of in-vitro fertilization (IVF).
• Increasing acceptance of divorce, single parenthood, and non-traditional partnerships.

In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF): A medical technique allowing conception outside traditional reproduction, expanding women’s reproductive options.

Religious Influence and Opposition

• In France and the UK, contraception gained widespread availability and cultural acceptance by the 1970s.
• In Catholic-majority countries like Italy, Spain, and Portugal, the Church resisted contraception, delaying its legalization and accessibility.
• In communist Eastern Europe, abortion was legally permitted and encouraged, but access varied by country, influenced by economic and ideological factors.

Women in Politics and Power

As legal and educational obstacles diminished, women began occupying significant political roles across Europe, a development unimaginable before World War II.

Despite progress, women remain underrepresented in many parliaments, though their presence in national legislatures has grown substantially since the late 20th century.

Conclusion

While significant barriers to women’s societal participation have been removed, gender inequality persists. Compared to earlier eras—when women faced legal subordination and exclusion from public life—the 20th and 21st centuries brought transformative gains in rights, autonomy, and opportunities for European women.

Key Terms

• Birth Control Pill: A hormonal contraceptive taken by women to prevent pregnancy by regulating ovulation, pivotal in advancing women’s reproductive rights during 20th-century feminist movements.
• Catholic Church: The largest Christian denomination, historically shaping European culture and politics, often opposing reproductive rights like contraception in Catholic-majority nations.
• Communist Governments in Eastern Europe: Post-WWII regimes in countries like Poland and the USSR, characterized by one-party rule and state-controlled economies, claiming gender equality but suppressing independent feminist voices.
• Czechoslovakia: A Central European nation (1918–1993), significant in Cold War gender dynamics, later splitting into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
• Eastern Europe: A region including Poland, Hungary, and others, marked by communist governance and limited feminist autonomy during the Cold War.
• Edith Cresson: France’s first female Prime Minister (1991–1992), symbolizing women’s growing political influence in 20th-century Europe.
• Educational Opportunities: Access to quality education, crucial in 20th-century feminism for enabling women to pursue professional and intellectual equality.
• Enfranchisement: The granting of voting rights, a key feminist achievement in the 20th century, enhancing women’s political representation.
• Equal Pay: The principle of equal compensation for equal work, a central feminist demand to address wage disparities and promote economic equity.
• Feminism: A movement advocating for women’s equality, addressing discrimination, reproductive rights, and workplace opportunities, reshaping 20th-century European society.
• France: A Western European nation influential in feminist activism, particularly in campaigns for reproductive and workplace rights.
• In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF): A procedure combining egg and sperm outside the body, revolutionizing reproductive options and women’s autonomy.
• Italy: A European nation where Catholic influence delayed reproductive rights, reflecting tensions between tradition and feminist progress.
• Margaret Thatcher: The UK’s first female Prime Minister (1979–1990), a landmark figure in women’s political leadership, known for conservative policies.
• Marriage and Reproduction: Social and legal institutions defining relationships and procreation, redefined by feminist advocacy for autonomy and choice.
• Mary Robinson: Ireland’s first female President (1990–1997), a champion of women’s and human rights, influential in global feminism.
• Patriarchal Systems: Social structures prioritizing male authority, challenged by feminism to promote gender equality and women’s rights.
• Poland: A Central European nation where communist policies shaped women’s roles, limiting independent feminist movements during the Cold War.
• Portugal: An Iberian nation where Catholic opposition delayed reproductive rights, reflecting broader tensions in feminist progress.
• Positions of Power: Roles of significant authority, increasingly occupied by women in 20th-century Europe, advancing gender equality in politics and beyond.
• Professional Careers: Occupations requiring specialized skills, opened to women through feminist advocacy, challenging traditional gender roles.
• Reproductive Rights: Legal freedoms related to family planning and reproductive health, central to feminist movements for bodily autonomy.
• Safe and Legal Abortion: Medically regulated pregnancy termination, a key feminist issue ensuring women’s health and reproductive choice.
• Second-Wave Feminism: A 1960s–1980s movement expanding feminist goals to include workplace equality, reproductive rights, and social change.
• Sexual Liberation: Advocacy for sexual freedom and autonomy, a feminist goal challenging societal norms around women’s sexuality.
• Simone de Beauvoir: French philosopher whose 1949 book *The Second Sex* shaped feminist theory, arguing women’s historical subordination.
• Soviet Union: A communist state (1922–1991) claiming gender equality but restricting feminist dissent, shaping women’s roles in Eastern Europe.
• Spain: A European nation where Catholic influence delayed feminist reforms, particularly in reproductive rights, until late 20th-century changes.
• State-Controlled Economy: A system where the government regulates production and distribution, impacting women’s roles under Eastern European communism.
• The Second Sex: Simone de Beauvoir’s 1949 text analyzing women’s oppression, foundational to 20th-century feminist thought and activism.
• United Kingdom: A nation pivotal in feminist activism, with significant advances in women’s political and reproductive rights.
• Western Europe: A region including France, Germany, and the UK, where grassroots feminism drove significant gender equality gains.
• Women’s Roles: Evolving social, political, and economic responsibilities of women, transformed by 20th-century feminist movements.
• World War II: A 1939–1945 global conflict that expanded women’s roles, catalyzing post-war feminist movements and societal change.