Why was the women's movement met with such resistance?
1 Answer
In a word patriarchy.
Explanation:
No matter what stage of the women's movement you are talking about the patriarchal structure of society has been the central barrier to women's progression towards economic, social and political equality. This is true in historical stages such as the opposition to the suffragette movement and more recently the rise of the women;s movement in the late 50's and early 60's.
No matter what specific topic you look at whether it is employment, sexual freedom, abortion, political representation, pay,etc, women have met with fierce resistance from institutionalised sexism, which in turn reflects the patriarchal nature of society.
Although progress has been made it has been painfully slow. Women are still grossly under-represented in the political system, abortion is now harder to get than it was in the 80's in the UK, (and in the USA it is impossible in many states), and pay still lags behind male equivalent for the same work. The recent row over gender inequality in pay at the BBC is a perfect example.
