What were the pros and cons of the Feminist movement of the 20th century?

Pros: Women's suffrage (though it started in the late 19th century). Women were finally given the right to vote in February 1913 in the U.S. Second Wave Feminism, including but not limited to the following: Consciousness raising groups, often called the "backbone" of the movement, began in the 1960s. These groups allowed women to come together and talk about their experiences as women. It's hard to frame why these were so important at the time because we take so much of what they accomplished for granted. Essentially, prior to these groups and the release of Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, women had not voiced aloud their grievances with being only mothers and wives and nothing else. I don't doubt that prior to the 1960s, these kinds of conversations had gone on between women. I don't doubt they've been going on forever. But these were the first that were intended to be serious criticism about their place in society that were also known to the general public as part of a movement; prior to these groups, when these issues were talked about, they were probably not talked about in the larger national conversation. Women had not openly talked together about being raped. They had not openly talked about anything, really, about being a woman, together or otherwise. Women thought they were alone. The Women's/Feminist Art Movement, while very ciscentric and whitewashed, resulted in an outpouring of incredible feminist art. Some artists who are considered part of this movement today (though they may not have considered themselves part of it at the time) are Frida Kahlo, Shirin Neshat, Judy Chicago, Cindy Sherman, and Georgia O'Keeffe. Roe vs. Wade, the 1979 landmark case ensuring legal abortions. Roe vs. Wade affirmed that a person had a right to abortion until viability, defining viability as "potentially able to live outside the mother's womb, albeit with artificial aid," which is (according to the ruling) 24-28 weeks. Access to legal birth control or information about birth control, which France didn't have until 1965 and Italy didn't have until 1970. In the U.S., birth control was legal until the Comstock Act of 1873. This was overturned first by Griswold vs. Connecticut in 1965, which ruled that a CT law prohibiting the sale of birth control violated the right to marital privacy. Eisenstadt vs. Baird expanded the right to unmarried couples in 1972. Planned Parenthood was founded in 1916. No, really! The National Organization For Women (NOW) was founded in 1966. The Lily Ledbetter Act, though passed in 2009, had its roots in the late 90's. Cons: Transphobia. Trans* women were not recognized as "real" women and were the victim of bullying, exclusion, and oppression. Much of the mythos of trans* women as uncontrollable rapists and "men in disguise" comes out of the fear and disgust that the Second Wave had for trans* women. Whitewashing and racism. Despite the prevalence of women of color who were working toward the goals of the Second Wave, they were not heard, not featured, and discriminated against. Their art is not often remembered in textbooks that describe the feminist art movement; their contributions are not often recognized by women's history classes, and womanism -- which was a parallel movement in many ways, that came as a result of this exclusion -- is rarely discussed in as much detail. Women of color were told they could not march in protests, could not speak at rallies, and had no place in feminist organizations. Their stories were not welcomed by primarily white group consciousness sessions; intersectionality was not a priority for the second wave. Neutrals: Political lesbianism/lesbian separatism, or lesbianism as an anti-male act. Political lesbianism was against penetration during sex as an inherently patriarchal and subjugating act. Ultimately, this is an incredibly sex-negative and shaming view that is not adopted in many current feminists. However, it also allowed women of the time to break free from the constraints of marriage, family life, and duty/subjugation to their husbands and to experience freedom; women who identified more with other women were free to pursue those deep relationships, and it was a form of emancipation for many. The idea of lesbianism as a social construct is deeply problematic and likely has contributed to the fetishization of lesbian women today, but the good it did for those who chose it at the time cannot be ignored. Something important to know: Radical feminism as it exists now is goddamn awful and exhibits some of the worst transphobia I've ever had the misfortune of dealing with. Suggested reading: The Essential Feminist Reader by Estelle B. Friedman Ain't I A Woman? Black Women and Feminism by bell hooks Gender Trouble by Judith Butler The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan

Might be controversial, but here we go: Pros: Right to vote for women Increased equality and access to education. Access to contraception and abortion rights. Women do not always have to fear unwanted pregnancies or children disrupting their life and stopping their goals. See for a discussion on this in the context of the United States Working to shatter glass ceilings in pay, employment, and accepted employment roles Improving the voice of women in society. Making women feel like they can say something when they make up half the population Promoting openness and positivity about sex. Allowing people to converse about sex normally, instead of the shame that came from most religious dogmas. Sex is a normal and healthy part of life, women are not sluts for thinking about sex or not being virgins before marriage, etc. Women are no longer dependent on men to make a living. There was a movie about how Wellesley students in the 1960s at the cusp of social change were groomed to get some "Mrs." degree and go hunt for a potential husband at a party. Better get it done before 30. Then it showed the alternatives to this "I need a man" storyline. Fighting and pointing out legal and systematic discrimination against women. Making people think about defaults and gender in way of thought and English language. "He" as a pronoun. Reduced birthrate Cons: [I've included more information critiquing feminism since pros of feminists in the 20th century are well established and I feel others on Quora will do a better job of posting Pros, see Kaye Toal's answer for instance] The idea that men and women have little biological differences or that most of their differences are due to socialization and can be erased. Feminists calling into question concepts, like beauty, which are well explained by biology and evolutionary psychology with books like The Beauty Myth (see Nancy Etcoff's Survival of the Prettiest and E.O. WIlson) Punishing men for being men: focused on physical attractiveness (the "o"-bjectification word), being more aggressive and competitive (say in schooling systems) Calling anyone opposed to feminism a misogynist, closed-minded, a woman hater. Disallowing thought and using political correctness, name calling, and shaming ("man up!") as a tool to close debate. Questionable studies and statistics produced to support ideological viewpoints, without thought to reality. (For instance, saying 25% of US women will be raped in their lives) Retention of certain gender roles (men should ask women out + pay for dates) while abolishing other ones in contradictory ways (men and women must have equal incomes regardless of hours worked / professions) Changed structure of traditional family - single mothers common and condoned. With this and the sexual revolution, divorce rates and children born to unmarried parents skyrocketed. Encourages subsidizing these bad choices such as multiple teenage pregnancies through welfare. Proliferation of extreme statements like “Women need men like a fish needs a bicycle” - has been tempered and toned down however Many people believe the pros can be cons too. See (3) abortion rights and (10) reduced birthrates (a society that doesn't reproduce is a society with impending social upheaval or slow decay) Gender feminists and the second wave are often considered the radical feminists and the hated ones. Stuff like slut shaming - when it's often women themselves shaming sluts - and when having casual sex with many partners requires much more effort for men (since men are much more likely to "say yes" to strangers than women) A critique of feminism from a quite reasoned, logical perspective: http://postmasculine.com/why-im-not-a-feminist has four major reasons (reading the full post is a great idea): 1. Men and women are fundamentally different and therefore should not be expected to behave identically [which does not give men a free pass either] 2. If we’re going to talk gender, we should talk both genders at the same time. 3. The concept of rape culture is offensive. 4. Feminism accomplished all of its political and academic goals, and I’m not convinced it has a necessary reason to still exist. A general critique of feminism from a brash, angry standpoint: NSFQ: http://the-spearhead.com/ Suggested reading: Christina Hoff Sommers, Who Stole Feminism?: How Women Have Betrayed Women. Susan Faludi, Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women

Just one pro, and just one con... nothing else matters On the Pro side, women have more say, are truly equal members in a family, are recognised for what they are capable of and treated much, much better But this has come at a cost... one cost. Just one. The kids.... the children. No one can provide or take care of a child quite like a mother! Family life has paid the price. Pity that the males dont realise (or rather didnt realise and accept women as equals before... the world might just have been a different place)