Volume 50, May–June 2015, Pages 68–79
Women of a certain age: “Second wave” feminists reflect back on 50 years of struggle in the United States
Synopsis
Using
social movement theory, this study explores the lives of 31 women in
the U.S. who were activists in the “second wave” feminist movement in
order to understand how aging activists currently make sense of the
victories and setbacks in the struggle for gender justice. Findings from
in-depth interviews show that veteran feminists possess a profound
ambivalence about the impact of the modern feminist movement. Along with
feelings of empowerment and pride, many older women activists carry
feelings of outrage at movement backlash; anger at the loss of systemic
analyses among younger generations; grief around interpersonal trauma
experienced as activists; and a sense of marginalization. These findings
give voice to a cohort whose unique perspectives are critical for our
understanding of the social history of American feminisms, and
contribute to knowledge of how freedom fighters think and feel about
social movement participation once the period of mass mobilization has
ended.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
