The Ongoing Women’s Rights Movement

For centuries, men and women in the United States have had differing roles both in the home and in the workplace; while men have had the stereotype of being in charge and making the money in the family, women were viewed with the stereotype of staying at home, cooking, and taking care of the kids. These traditional prejudgments often led to inequality in opportunity and treatment, usually not in favor of women. Fortunately, decades of attempts to dissolve barriers between men and women have resulted in much fairer chances for success and opportunity on both sides. However, disparity between the two sexes is still present in modern society as discrimination continues to flourish.

The women’s rights movement began in 1848, when the first convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. During this convention, 68 women and 32 men signed the Declaration of Sentiments, which outlined the grievances against the inequality between men and women’s rights, and demanded equal opportunity for women in education, employment, and voting rights [1]. This set the stage for more conventions, organizations, debates, and protests; two years later, the first National Women’s Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts had more than 1,000 participants, and these national conventions were held yearly until 1860. In 1869, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, two of the most important contributors to the women’s rights movement, founded the National Woman Suffrage Association, urging the passage of a Constitutional amendment for women’s voting rights [2]. Later that same year, Wyoming was the first territory to give voting rights to women. Colorado was the first state to do so, the rest of the states following thereafter.

As women eventually attained the right to vote and serve as judges, they gained more power to further the women’s rights movement in other aspects of society, such as the workplace and schools. In 1903, the National Women’s Trade Union League was founded, and it advocated higher wages and improvement of working conditions for women. In 1963, Congress passed the Equal Pay Act, which prohibited employers from paying a woman less than what a man was paid for the same job. In the following year, the famous Civil Rights Act of 1964 made race- and sex-based discrimination in employment illegal [3], and in 1972, the Education Amendments prohibited discrimination in school enrollment and educational activities based on sex, resulting in a dramatic increase in the participation of women in professional education and athletic programs. Additionally, the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of women’s rights in numerous cases throughout the movement.

Over the course of more than a century, women have fought to have the same rights as men. And it’s true that they have come a long way; women can now vote, receive education, and work in safe conditions and earn higher wages. However, even today the disparities in the rights of men and women can be seen, especially in the workforce: in 2010, the median income for men was $42,800, while the median for women was $34,700. Furthermore, just two years ago, the gender wage gap widened even more; in 2011, women earned 82.2% of what men earned, but in 2012, this figure decreased to 80.9% [5]. Studies have shown that a root cause of this inequality is that despite the effort put into obtaining equality between the two sexes over the decades, discriminating stereotypes still influence the actions of the workplace; the belief that men are naturally more skilled than women in certain tasks still lead some to think that certain types of jobs are meant for men, while other jobs, usually lower-paying occupations, are meant for women. These gender stereotypes are clearly prevalent in society today, further indicated by the fact that the Supreme Court continues to deal with cases involving discriminatory actions against women; in 2011, when Betty Dukes sued Wal-Mart for sex discrimination in pay and promotion policies, the Supreme Court declared that the plaintiffs “did not have enough in common” to execute a class action, ruling in favor of Wal-Mart [6].

Through the countless debates, protests, and court cases over the decades, women’s roles in society emerged from the household, out to the workplace and schools. While women could not vote or attend schools and were expected to stay at home in the early 1800s, women in the modern age can now vote, obtain high education, and apply for jobs in their field of interest. With such progress in the equality between men and women, it might seem as though there is not much left to do in terms of fighting for gender equality. However, discriminatory social values between men and women are still clearly present, as shown through the current gender wage gap and differences in work and promotion conditions. With this discrimination still prevalent, the women’s rights movement continues to move forward in today’s society.

[1] http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/WIC/Historical-Essays/No-Lady/Womens-Rights/

[2] http://www.brynmawr.edu/library/exhibits/suffrage/nawsa.html

[3] http://www.infoplease.com/spot/womenstimeline2.html

[4] http://www.infoplease.com/spot/womenstimeline3.html

[5] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/07/gender-wage-gap-2012_n_2830173.html

[6] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/20/walmart-too-big-to-sue_n_880930.html