What are the 10 most important social changes that occurred during the
twentieth century?

Hello diggledaggle~

First, a disclaimer. The ?most important? anything is always going to
be a matter of opinion--so this answer is full of opinions; however,
they are educated opinions :)

For each social change, I've included a link for further information.


1.Wide-spread atheism/agnosticism 
(?Atheism,? Religious Movements:
http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/atheism.html )

2. Acceptance of pre-marital sex. 
(?Sexual Revolution,? Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_revolution )

3. Widespread use of recreational drugs 
("Recreational Drug Use," Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recreational_drug_use )

4. Feminism 
(?Feminism,? The Columbia Encyclopedia:
http://www.bartleby.com/65/fe/feminism.html )

5. Suffrage for women 
(?Women?s Suffrage,? Encyclopedia.com:
http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/w1/womansuf.asp )

6. The actuality of suffrage for all black Americans 
(?Civil Rights Timeline,? Infoplease:
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/civilrightstimeline1.html )

7. Desegregation 
(?Intergation,? Encyclopedia.com:
http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/i1/integrat.asp )

8. The wide-spread acceptance of Darwinism 
(?Darwinism,? Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/d/darwinis.asp )

9. The wide-spread reality of women working outside home (See "Feminism," above.)

10. The end of child labor 
(?Child Labor,? Encyclopedia.com:
http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/c1/childlab.asp )



Regards,
Kriswrite




KEYWORDS USED:
20th century "social changes"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&q=20th+century+%22social+changes%22&btnG=Search

Wide-spread atheism agnosticism
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&q=Wide-spread+atheism+agnosticism&btnG=Search

sexual revolution
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&q=sexual+revolution&btnG=Search

"history of" drugs
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&q=%22history+of%22+drugs&btnG=Search

women?s suffrage
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&q=women%27s+suffrage

civil rights vote
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&q=civil+rights+vote&btnG=Search

Darwinism
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=ISO-8859-1&q=darwinism&spell=1

?women in? workplace
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&q=%22women+in%22++workplace

?child labor?
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&q=%22child+labor%22

feminism
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&q=feminism

It really looked like a poor effort at finding these answers.  Perhaps
I should have requested a second effort.  I'm very disappointed and
will likely not return to this feature, though it does show
possibilities.  When I followed the links I was given information
which conformed my initial feelings that the answers were quickly
given and not really thought about.

A great List, Kriswrite.

I would add others but picking 'the 10 most important' is (as you say)
highly subjective and, in any event, heavily dependent on where you
live:

1: The treatment and sterilisation of public water supplies with the
consequent reduction in water-bourne diseases;

2: Great improvements in health care and the consequent greater longevity;

3: Provision of Pension facilities for the older folk;

4: Improvements in Social Welfare, to assist the more disadvantaged;

5: The Internal Combustion Engine which has revolutionised work
opportunities and military capabilities;

6: The dependance on oil v coal as a principal source of energy. This
has reduced both work opportunities and also the health risks
associated with the mining industry;

7: The advent of air traffic which has allowed for a greater
Globalisation of the World Economies, as well as overseas holiday
travel for the masses.

8: The advent of Mass Entertainment facilities, including audio,
video, movies ... which have changed how people spend their leisure
time.

9: The emergence of English as the 'lingua franca' that has enhanced
communication opportunities worldwide.

10: The emergence of Google Answers which allows folk from all over
the world to exchange information in a brilliant way.

Wow ... I could go on all day ...

But I won't!

Hi, DiggleDaggle

I was sorry that you found Kriswrite's Answer so disappointing, but
there really were so many possibilities that it was always going to be
very subjective and, even if the Researcher had spent WEEKS in
providing an Answer, it could still have proved a disappointment to
you.

Do please return because it was very a challenging question.

Mike

Hello diggledaggle-ga,

Unfortunately, Google Answers Researchers are not mind readers so we
need your help in understanding the full scope of the information you
need. You said, "Perhaps I should have requested a second effort." Absolutely! 

As a new user you may not be familiar with the Clarification option.
Please review it so that your future use of Google Answers will be
more satisfying.

http://answers.google.com/answers/help.html
Get clarification on the answer to your question 

If the answer you receive to your question is unclear for whatever
reason, you can request a clarification at no additional charge. You
should ask for a clarification if you feel the answer is incorrect or
incomplete, or if you simply want more information on your subject. To
request a clarification, go to your account page and select "My
Answered Questions". Select the question you would like clarified.
Click the "Clarify Answer" button to open the clarification window.
Select "Post Clarification" when you are done typing.

I'm sure kriswrite-ga would have been happy to work with you to get
you the information you need. As an experienced Researcher with close
to three hundred answers under her belt, she has amply demonstrated
her dedication to customer service.

We want to make sure you have a satisfying experience with Google
Answers. Please review the Google Answers: Frequently Asked Questions
to help make sure you can get the best results in the future.

http://answers.google.com/answers/faq.html

We look forward to your future questions.

~ czh ~

diggledaggle~

How very sorry I am that you were so disappointed as to give the
answer one star! I actually spent several hours on this question,
coupled with years of thinking about the topic. (Writing about social
history is something I do frequently.) The links I provided were
intended only to give a brief overview of the topics covered, in case
they weren't that familiar.

It was my understanding that you were looking for an educated opinion
on this topic, not necessarily links to other sources providing their
opinions.

As has already been stated, you should always feel free to ask for
clarification; we Researchers want you to walk away happy.

Regards,
Kriswrite