I remember Rosie the Riveter during WWII, but once the men came back home, the prevailing story in US culture was that women returned to the home. The 1950s aren't known for women having jobs other than secretary, nurse, and teacher. What jobs were women doing in the 1950s? They weren't swarming the colleges. According to National Geographic, women were only 21% of college students in the mid 50s. It's not a time we point to as a hotbed of feminism. Heck, even in the 1920s, the percentage of women in college was more than twice that.
There are probably numerous contributions to feminism. Amongst them would be bored housewives, who listen to their husbands day and think he’s having a ball when he only shared the highlights.
Money is an aphrodisiac for women. To not have to depend on a husband, even if they were just transferring their dependent nature onto government and a boss, feels pretty good.
Corporations found they could double the productivity without doubling the wages.
Governments found they could double the tax base by having twice the workers.
Leftists wanted women in the work place in order to destroy the family. Every place where leftism took hold, one of the things they always did was get women into the workplace so children could be raised and propagandized by the government.