Aspects of Second-wave Feminism in Top Girls Anonymous College

Second-wave feminism was incredibly significant in shaping women’s rights. Women were fighting for their right to be equals with men, as they were sick of being stuck in the house, being made to raise a family; while their husbands got to have jobs and be the sole breadwinners in the family. For once, women were openly talking about and trying to understand the core of their oppression, so that they could do something about it (Osborne). In Caryl Churchill’s play Top Girls, she attempted to touch on some of the bigger issues that women faced during this time. She used a double and sometimes triple casting strategy in her play to represent that these issues had not only been a problem for women in the modern world, but for most women throughout history. Some of the most significant problems for women during second-wave feminism that Churchill described were: reproductive rights, women not supporting women, and the constant battle between the “traditional” woman and the “progressive” woman.

Reproductive rights were one of the most pressing issues of second-wave feminism, which was made very apparent by Churchill in this play. Many of the characters faced problems based around reproductive rights. As a general example, several of...