Which wave of feminist activism is the Bar Room Suffragettes protest of 1965 said to have initiated?

• A. It sparked the first wave of suffrage
• B. It initiated second wave feminist activism
• C. It led to the abolition of gender roles
• D. It ended the feminist movement

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is understanding how feminist activism evolved through waves. The Bar Room Suffragettes protest of 1965 is interpreted as marking the shift from seeking legal rights to broader social and cultural equality, which is the hallmark of second‑wave feminism. In the 1960s, activism expanded to challenging daily gender roles, pushing for workplace and reproductive rights, education, and greater political influence, not just the right to vote. That broader, more activist, public push is what second‑wave feminism is known for, and this protest is seen as emblematic of that shift.

Compare this with the other options: the first wave was mainly about suffrage a long time earlier, so a 1965 protest wouldn’t initiate it. The notion of abolishing gender roles or ending feminism doesn’t fit the historical pattern of ongoing, evolving advocacy across waves.