The Feminists decided to examine the institution of marriage as it is set up by law in order to find out whether or not it did operate in women’s favor. It became increasingly clear to us that the institution of marriage “protects” women in the same way that the institution of slavery was said to “protect” blacks—that is, that the word “protection” in this case is simply a euphemism for oppression.
—Sheila Cronan, “Marriage,” in Anne Koedt, Ellen
Levine, and Anita Rapone (Eds.), Radical Feminism
(New York: Quadrangle Books, 1976)