WOMEN’S RIGHTS

Student
Importance of Women’s Rights

 Equality between the sexes

 Females should be able to lead lives without
feeling “less than”
 Equal access to education, health, and
employment for both sexes
Origins
 Women’s rights have been a global issue since
ancient times
 China: foot binding
 Rome: could not vote, hold office, serve in military
 Athens: not even considered citizens
 Religious books i.e. Bible, Quran, support inequality
 Even in the Enlightenment, philosophers did not
support equal rights for genders
 “When she tries to usurp our rights, she is our inferior.” –
Jean Jacques Rousseau
Origins in the U.S.
 The first women’s rights convention was held in
Seneca Falls, NY in 1848
 Primary goal was the right to vote
 December 10, 1869, Wyoming passed the first
women’s suffrage law
 The 19th Amendment was added to the
Constitution, granting women the right to vote
 Since then, the movement has progressed to fight
for much more than the right to vote
Goals of Women’s Right
Movement
 The modern movement encompasses much more
than suffrage
 The goals of the movement include equal rights
to:
 Health
 Hold public office
 Employment
 Fair wages
 Property
 Education
 Military
 Family rights
Reed v. Reed 1971
 Sally and Cecil Reed were a separated couple
who both petitioned to be the administrator for
their son’s estate
 Cecil was originally named administrator for the
sole reason of being a male
 Decision was overturned by Supreme Court in this case
 “To give a mandatory preference to members of either sex…
is to make the… legislative choice forbidden by the Equal
Protection Clause”-Chief Justice Burger
 This was a landmark case because it was the first
time the the US Supreme Court ruled a
discriminating law against women was
unconstitutional
 Cleveland Board of Education v.
LaFleur
 LaFleur was forced to take an unpaid maternity
leave after her pregnancy in 1974 and she
contested this
 Her case made it to the Supreme Court in 1975
 The Supreme Court decided it was unlawful to
require women to take unpaid maternity leaves after
the first trimester
 Regarding the due process, health, and
employment issues, this case was issued in 1975
in favor of LaFleur
 Justice Stewart commented, “By acting to
penalize the pregnant teacher for deciding to bear
 Meritor Savings Bank v.
Vinson
 Mechelle Vinson sued the bank and specifically,
the vice president after being fired
 Vinson said the sexual harassment she endured
should be declared unlawful discrimination
 It was decided “unlawful discrimination” would not
just be limited to tangible effects
 The purpose of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was to change “the
entire spectrum of disparate treatment” of men and women
alike
 This case was a big victory for women who had
suffered in the workplace due to sexual
harassment
Impact
 Due to many of the landmark cases in the U.S.
many countries are starting to follow suit
 Women’s rights are at the top of El Salvador’s
agenda for 2014
 More women are entering the global political arena
 Women’s average wages have increased and the
pay gap between men and women has narrowed
significantly
 However some do not fully support all aspects of
the movement
 Believe pay difference is not due to discrimination,
but choices in occupations
 Women should be included in draft
Conclusion
 America has made great strides for the women’s
rights movement
 Issues like healthcare, average pay
discrimination, and violence against women still
remain to be completely resolved
 However from the conventions in Seneca Falls to
the 19th Amendment to the modern cases, women
have made a huge leap in the last 150 years in
the United States