Radical Feminism Overview

• To radical feminists, the system of oppression of men by women, also called the "patriarchy," was the underlying and most basic social, political and economic problem, and all other forms of oppression came from patriarchy. Radical feminists believed that institutions such as marriage and parenting made women slaves to male agendas. Some radical feminists sought to completely remove male power structures and create women-only organizations and systems of power.
  
  

NOW and "The New York Times" Job Ads - 1967

• Although NOW, the National Organization for Women, is no longer considered to be a radical group, its 1967 picket on "The New York Times" for the Times' use of help-wanted ads that were segregated by gender -- jobs for men and jobs for women -- helped to pave the way for other, larger protests. With NOW's focus on sexist policies of a major news organization, this march inspired future radical feminist marches and protests.
  
  

The Miss America Pageant - 1968

• One of the most famous feminist marches was the march in September 1968 on the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey. NOW members as well as members of various other women's liberation groups picketed this event and provided a trash can where women could throw their undergarments and other signs of patriarchal control over women. This event is where the myth of "bra-burning feminists" came from, though no bras were actually burned.
  
  

The Abortion Speak Out - 1969

• An important radical feminist event of the 1960s was the Abortion Speak Out, held on March 21, 1969 in the West Village of New York City by the radical feminist group The Redstockings. Redstockings had organized previous demonstrations before this event, which brought hundreds of women together who had experienced any aspect of abortion, from a back-alley abortion to a refusal of abortion. In the years this event, many other Abortion Speak Outs occurred throughout the United States.