Women's Fight for Gender Equality

Women have been fighting the fight for women’s rights for a long time. In fact, evidence can be traced back centuries of women’s desire for equality. Specifically, women have fought for their rights in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Women’s struggle for equality will remain relevant in the future as a global issue because every country today still struggles to obtain successful women’s equality. Women today are determined to fight for their rights, rights that are detrimental to the success of society. The struggle for women’s equality is something that has plagued women for centuries. Societies throughout history have been ruled by the iron fist of men, in royal families, the working class, and even within the households. This is something that is most common in todays underdeveloped countries, women are treated as being less than men and therefore do not deserve the same rights. This however is something that women have recognized as a problem and are unwavering in their fight to establish equal rights, whether it be in the United States or even Africa, the cry for equality is the same.

Women have been a vital key to the shaping and progression of our society. Throughout time, women’s roles and opportunities in the family, workplace, and society have greatly evolved. They started from being housewives that don’t have many rights, even in the household, to being valued citizens in our

When you think about women in the work field today, what do you see? A successful lawyer, a doctor, perhaps. That’s true. In fact, there have been more females holding high employment positions in the late 20th and 21st century than ever before. According to Donald M. Fisk in “Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2003”, 60% of working-age women worked in the labor force in 1999. That’s 41% more than that of 1900, where only 19% of women worked in the labor force. Among these women, a vast majority have seen their salaries sky-rocket in the past two decades, almost surpassing those of male workers. However, it is not always this way.

Throughout history, battles and wars have been fought to gain some type of rights or freedoms. In 1775, the American Revolutionary War was fought for independence; In 1865, the American Civil War was fought to end slavery. Although no wars were fought, many battles were waged for women 's rights. The struggle for women 's rights begin in the mid-late 1800s at a time when women were not allowed to vote or own property. Women, as with African-Americans, during this period were not recognized as having any legal and political rights as men and whites, respectively. This attitude towards women, at the time, was ascribed to the “gender rules in the 1700s” where men thought of “women as fragile creatures always in need of male protection and always denied access to the public sphere." (Lecture 2, 6:19). If women wanted to gain their individualism, rights, and freedoms they were entitle to; they would have to unite and create opportunities to do so. The inequalities women faced was the foundation of the Women 's Suffrage Movement and many other organizations in support of women.

This investigation has enabled me to gain a perception into some of the techniques used by certain historians, as well as to the difficult task that historians encounter when undertaking historical investigations. I feel I have developed the skill of critically and carefully analyzing sources which is essential in the study of history. In order to carry out this investigation, I read books by well-known and praised historians on the subject of women’s rights and analyzed statistical evidence.

Throughout history the roles of women have changed dramatically. Since the 1950’s, women have slowly but surely evolved into the individuals one sees today in public offices, law firms or even the five o’ clock news. However, this evolution did not occur over night. Although women in the 1950’s and today have dealt with similar stereotypes, today life has greatly improved because women aren’t as pressured to get married, are taken more seriously in the business world, and are even making as much or more money as men.

The labor movement in the United States has had a turbulent history with not being equal to all in society. A key demographic that has fought for equality up to the present day is women. The time period following the second World War was a time in which the United States thrived economically and socially, separating themselves as the sole “world superpower”. During the War, many women enter the workforce to help with the rapid production that was necessary to meet the demands of the military. When the War ended, many women saw their jobs lost to returning veterans. They were sent back to their homes to take care of their families. The post World War II time poised as an obstacle for women in the workforce. They were coming off of a high that they experienced by not having to stay in the home all day and tend to chores and their husband’s wishes. They no longer had to rely on their husband’s money because for the first time they were finally making their own. The working opportunities during the second World War created a feminist liberation that could not be oppressed when the men returned home. It instead jumpstarted women’s focus on their independence.

Since before the Bill of Rights were even completely formed, women were wanting the same rights as men. John Adams wife, Abigail, told him that she wanted womens rights in the amendments (Carr, 2015). The battle for women 's equal rights heightened during 1848-1920 when women, lead mostly by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, wanted the right to vote (Woman’s Rights Movement, n.d.). When women finally got the right to vote, the whole women 's movement went down, but never fully went away. In the 60’s the Equal Pay was passed. Also, in the past couple years, women have started to look at getting equal pay and to be treated equal as men.

Women have been fighting the fight for women’s rights for a long time. In fact, evidence can be traced back centuries of women’s desire for equality. Specifically, women have fought for their rights in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Since 1848, women have been trying to fight for equal rights. Today women still do not have equal rights to men. Women have been fighting for equal rights so women can have a fair pay in jobs and the same education as men.

“[...]A woman is not better, wiser, stronger, more intelligent, more creative, or more responsible than a man. Likewise, she is never less. Equality is a given.”(Vera Nazarian) 100 years ago women were treated with extreme indifference. They were truly belittled. Today women have slowly, but surely, gained empowerment in proving they are not less, nor more than a man.There are countless ways American women’s equality has flourished since 100 years ago, specifically, within the workforce, marriage, and social status.

Women fought very hard for their rights in the workplace. Some of them, including Susan B Anthony, went above and beyond the norm. Yet, today our rights are still not the same as a man’s. At one point women weren’t allowed to work at all, and today they are allowed to have jobs while still being home makers. Although improvements have been made, there are still several dilemmas that need to be addressed. A women earns less than a man when doing the same work, and that is extremely unfair. Another issue in the workplace is that men underestimate women due to lack of strength and discrimination. There are also the issues of pregnancy and sexual

Throughout the course of history, women and young girls have been viewed as the weaker sex. Females did not, and at times still do not, receive the same level of respect or opportunities as men. Leading up to the 1960’s, women’s primary physical activities were cheerleading and dancing, while the men’s were more geared towards football and basketball. The women’s movement for equality was in the late 1960’s, during which women finally began to have their voices heard by others. As a result of the powerful women’s movement, the Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 was enacted by President Richard Nixon. This federal law states that, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be

Feminism is the advocacy of equal rights among people; specifically fighting against gender inequality and gender stereotypes created by society. To some people, the feminist movement is a lost cause. Lost is defined as having perished; it 's expired, it is no more. Right now, our society is arguing that feminism is lost, perished, or an expired social movement because we simply don 't need it; America has reached the pinnacle of gender equality. Sadly, this idea snuck its way into our country 's media and minds. I am here to tell you that the fight for gender equality has not expired and it never disappeared. It 's true, women have the right to vote, women have obtained the right to have a legal abortion; we can create careers for ourselves without being frowned upon by society. But just because women CAN do countless things that we were incapable of over a century ago, doesn 't mean the fight is over. Let me show you a few things third-wave feminists are advocating for today.