Final answer:
In the post-World War II era, women played influential roles in many minority protest movements, especially the civil rights movement and antiwar protests. This involvement led to the development of a second women's rights movement in the 1960s and the creation of influential and advocacy organizations such as the National Organization for Women.
Step-by-step explanation:
Women played significant roles in several post-World War II minority protest movements, notably the civil rights movement and the antiwar protests. They made substantial contributions to organizations fighting for civil rights, further inspiring them to form their own activism for women's rights. For instance, Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique, contesting the belief that women were destined only to marry and bear children. Many women also became integral parts of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs and the Women's Christian Temperance Union. This pattern continued into feminist protests such as the demonstration at the 1968 Miss America Pageant by the New York Radical Women.
This continued activism by women also led to further rights movements, such as the second women's rights movement of the 1960s that tackled issues like employment discrimination, political equality, abortion, and free childcare. An example of such initiative is the formation of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1966, in response to the unresponsiveness of the government in the enforcement of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
Despite the discrimination that persisted within the movement, especially for women of color, many began to understand that liberation required a multiplicity of voices, as illustrated by the work of the Combahee River Collective and their 'Black Feminist Statement'.
Learn more about Women's Activism post-WWII