The Feminist Movement

Over a hundred years ago, one event created chaos among gender roles and here are some of the initial factors of how rights for women started as a predicament which later began to evolve into a much larger problem that involved many people around the nations. Over the course of history, many issues had change the world to what it has become today. Many problems led to social, economic, and other changes. One small event is able to cause more obstacles, which eventually leads to larger complications. Even though society had tried to resolve these issues, they still encountered many hardships that were disruptive to their own perspectives as also for other people within the community. Thus, this was an important issue because it had changed

With the advancement of suffrage to equal pay, over the last century, women’s rights have progressed immensely. Through historic marches and demonstrations across the United States, women protested for their equal place in politics and social progress. Despite the fear-mongering components used in achieving these rights, women’s rights are still thoroughly debated within society today. Over the last century, incredible and unreachable goals have been fulfilled for women, such as the right to vote and a sense of equal state in the “Free World,” and can only improve in the years to come.

Early feminism was typically focused only on white women, likely because racism was still extremely prominent at the time feminism began emerging. It was not until Kimberlé Crenshaw introduced the term “intersectionality” in 1989 that feminism started to look at oppressed group’s needs (Nash, 2008, 2). Intersectionality is a way of thinking that acknowledges that when a person has identities that belong to more than one oppressed group, it impacts their quality of life more negatively. In this paper, I will argue that intersectionality is important in the discussion of feminist theories and activism because it ensures that feminism is for all women, not just a select group of them. Intersectionality has changed the way the feminist movement handles the overlapping of different identities, which has helped feminist theorists understand the experiences of women of colour much more clearly. While intersectionality has a very important role in the conversation and practice of feminism, there are certainly critiques of the concept that should be brought up. These critiques, however, can offer a way to improve the study of intersectionality.

Lingering inequalities and other social trends from previous decades brought forth the modern feminist movement in the 1960s. These feminists campaigned for gender equality with causes such as equal pay for equal work, abortion rights, and social parity. In 1963, author Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique, which contained reports from a study conducted on female college graduates during the 1950s and early 1960s, which uncovered that most women labelled themselves exclusively as mothers and housewives, and were unsatisfied with the roles forced upon them. Friedan argued fervently that women needed to discover their own identities outside the roles of a wife and mother. Many believe that the arguments made in The Feminine Mystique marked the start of the modern feminist movement (Loveday, 1)

Around the years 1848 and 1869, the Feminist and Suffrage movement started to take off, and was named "the emergence of an independent women 's movement in America" (Dubois Title). During these times, societal standards taught that a woman belonged either in the kitchen, or serving her family. This presented few opportunities for education and/or careers for women. In turn, many women realized they didn 't want to only serve their families, or even have a family. They decided to stand up for themselves. This was the beginning of a revolution that is unfortunately still going on today.

The feminist movement of the 1960’s focused solely on the improvement and well- being of women. The idea of Feminism is a critical theory as it is an analytical examination of social conditions and what tools could be utilized to proactively improve these conditions. Overcoming the consistent barriers women had to endure during this era remains prevalent and continues to have psychological effects. In order to strengthen one’s mindset regarding feminism, we must first refer back and understand the intellectual history of the women’s movement and examine areas of how counseling can assist with overcoming these impediments. The Feminist philosophy is the philosophical dimension of intellectual feminism. Many philosophers understand their intellectual history and the history of the women's movement in terms of three "waves."

Women's fight for rights began in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York at the first Women's Rights Convention. The Seneca Falls Convention was led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a mother of four, and Lucrieta Mott, a Quaker abolitionist. About one hundred people were in attendance. Stanton wrote the Declaration of Sentiments, outlining their grievances and setting an agenda for the women's rights

The Women’s Suffrage Movement commenced in 1848, when a women’s right convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. Technically, Seneca Falls was not the first to support women’s rights, but suffragists viewed it as the meeting that launched the suffrage movement. In this convention, women and men would discuss the problems involving women’s rights. As depicted in the movie Suffragettes, women were allowed to speak and be heard but that didn’t mean that they would get what they wanted. In Seneca Falls, Delegates agreed that “American Women were autonomous individuals who deserved their own political Identities.” Also, the Delegates said, “that all men and women are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights that among these are life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.” They believed that women should have the right

Beginning in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York was the first right for women's right. Only the start of the 50-year battle to get equality. Roughly 300 people attended mostly woman, Frederick Douglass was only of the few men there. The two organizers Elizab0eth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott were mocked by press after the meeting for equality, that made them fight harder. In the beginning of the twentieth century, woman had no place in politics and were often discriminated. A movement named Women's suffrage had a big part in women getting the right to vote. In the United States, it was known as Woman's National League founded by Elizabeth Cady and Susan B. Anthony. Many men were apart of this movement, even making their own movement called Men's Leagues for Woman Suffrage roughly 20,000 members. Another one, National American Woman’s Suffrage Association (NAWSA) lead by Carrie Chapman Catt, helped start campaigns in the states this group had millions of members. Next came National Organization for Woman (NOW) lead by Alice Paul, had a more powerful approach with protecting and picketing. The overall point was to get Congress and President Woodrow Wilson to open their eyes. World War 1 did not interfere with the campaign it only helped by stating without woman working

Once upon a time in a world dominated by men, women had been forced to comply with society 's blinding notion that they were pieces of property meant to play the domesticated role of a dutiful housewife. This was true up until the late 1840s when women began to realize their worth was so much more than a floor-moping, dinner-making, stain-bleaching slave to six children and an ungrateful husband. That may sound rash and some situations may have been different, but before the civil war these women did not have the opportunities to be properly educated like men. Courageously strong women, over time, from the early 1800s up until the 1920s and counting, such as Elizabeth Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem have all become recognized for their dedication and persistence in bringing about changes in defending the rights of women and suppressing the bias against gender equality thus paving the road of feminism. However, even in today’s world anti-feministic backlashes are still occurring in the sense of politics, workplace, and society.

From the beginning of time women have always had it harder than men. Rights were always limited for women. Till today there is still that a disadvantage for women in areas such as the work place and how women earn less money than men do. Like many rights women did not have, women were not allowed to vote. It was not until June fourth of 1919 congress passed the nineteenth amendment that guaranteed all American women the right to vote and it was ratified on August eighteen of 1920. If it was for the women’s suffrage movement which started in 1848 and ended in 1920 the nineteenth amendment would not have happened. Many strong, notable women were part of this movement. Sisters: The lives of America’s Suffragists by Jean Baker and Century of Struggle: The woman’s Rights Movement in the United States by Eleanor Flexner both cover the issues and the struggle that lead to giving women their right to vote. The two books both discussed the issues but they did not convey the message the same way. While one book captivated one’s emotion and changed the views of many, the other book just gave fact.

Every reformation requires a leader—someone to set an example for them, to remind them what they are fighting for, to be the first person to stand up for their cause. Each leader represents every individual in their movement and they have to be willing to sacrifice everything for the cause of their movement. As entrepreneur Bo Bennet said, “Without initiative, leaders are simply workers in leadership position.” In the women’s rights movement, there was someone who defied all standards set up for women in the 1800s and took chances for the cause of suffrage and equality—Susan Brownell Anthony. Born into a Quaker family in New York, Anthony grew up under the notion of social equality and pursued independence as a young woman. This led her to pursue several imperative movements such as temperance, abolition and her most profound and recognized reformation—women’s rights. Susan B. Anthony played a critical role in changing the direction of the women’s rights movement and its success by demonstrating her authority as a leader and breaking the standards of society for women.

The stunning changes for women that have come to fruition over those seven eras in family life, in religion, in government, in jobs, and in education which did not simply happen suddenly. Women themselves made these improvements happen, purposely. Women have not been the aloof beneficiaries of phenomenal changes in laws and human instinct. Seven eras of women have met up to influence these adjustments in the most majority rule routes: through gatherings, request drives, campaigning, open talking, and peaceful resistance.

The Women’s Rights Movement began in 1848 with the first assembly of women and men gathering to discuss the civil, social, and other conditions of women. The Seneca Falls Convention was the start of the women’s movement. The two women who organized this event were Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, both who were abolitionists and believed women deserved the rights men were given. This convention began on July 19, 1848 and lasted through July 20, 1848. Although the convention lasted two days, the outcome of this convention sparked the women’s rights movement in various ways. The Seneca Falls Convention was very significant in establishing the women’s rights movement in the sense of creating the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, influencing women bravery in the Civil War due to the expression of equality between men and women, and it led many to believe this convention was the biggest and most important event that has occurred.

Throughout history, Canada’s identity has changed in many ways and there have been many historical events that have greatly shaped and impacted Canada’s history and identity. The Women’s Movement and women’s contribution in the past and throughout history has had the greatest impact on shaping Canada into what it is today. Among many identifying qualities like being multicultural, bilingual, and world leaders, Canada is also country that has changed immensely in the way of becoming a country that has learned to accept women, move towards providing them with equal opportunities and treating them equally. Through economic, social and political movements and actions, the contribution from women and the women’s movement have increased, changed and improved women’s rights and equality greatly. Women worked to create independence and equality economically through their contributions to war on the homefront in WWI resulting in greater workplace equality, socially through the actions of the Flappers in the 1920’s giving women currently, the confidence and strength that they need to speak up, and politically, through the work of the Suffragists including the Famous 5 to allow women to have the same political rights as men.