Why did 1960s feminists want to abolish the ladies auxiliaries? For the Task Force on Legal and Political Rights of the newly formed National Organization for Women, it was not a criticism of any particular women's group. The feminists wanted recognition of women as part of mainstream society, instead of as a separate – but not equal – special group.
A ladies auxiliary was a women's group within or associated with another organization. Often, the ladies auxiliary members were the wives of the men who were members of the main organization.
The Task Force on Legal and Political Rights was one of NOW’s original task forces when the influential feminist organization began in 1966. The task force defined its goals in a 1967 statement. These goals included a campaign to abolish the ladies auxiliaries and any organizations that "segregated" women politically.
According to the task force statement, special representation of women invariably left those women outside mainstream politics. Their voices were not heard in the decision-making power structure of the Republican and Democratic parties. Nor were they heard in most other political parties. The Task Force on Legal and Political Rights wanted to change this by getting rid of the separate women’s and ladies’ organizations.
Feminist theorists discussed this idea in other realms beyond the political, such as the home and the workplace. Many writers analyzed the concept of “putting women on a pedestal.” It was just a way to keep women from having autonomy or real power. A pedestal was not a show of true respect grounded in equal rights.