Women Stronger Today 1

Colorado Technical University

Women Stronger Today

Extra Credit Assignment

Gordon Neal

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

HIST 1605

Global History Since 1500

By

Sari Barnes

Colorado Springs, Colorado

May 2012
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Abstract

Women were oppressed before the twentieth century, but in it came a great movement through

the years that would be truly memorable. Women’s rights have given them equal standing in

society from years before.

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Women Stronger Today

Today, women are able to stand taller than before. Women, in the past, lived so long

without rights of their own, but now finally are able to have a voice. They have more freedoms,

more power to defend themselves. All of this is thanks to a strong movement by bold women

who wished to be liberated.

Starting Out

It all started in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. At a small convention, women and men

drafted and approved the Declaration of Sentiments, which would give women the right to vote

and have equal standing with men, no longer being put as second class citizens (The Free

Dictionary, 2008). However, it was overlooked and disregarded. A woman was just about as

unequal to a white man as a slave was in these times (The Free Dictionary, 2008). Despite

getting the right to vote in the 1920s, women were still not deemed equal to the average white

man. By the time of the 1930s, women were on their way, becoming employed, though these

positions were limited. Almost eleven million women were employed at this time (eNotes,

2000). Many were teachers or nurses (eNotes, 2000).

Women Working in World War II

By World War II, women in countries such as Australia, the United States, and Britain,

had the opportunity to take on jobs that were only meant for men (Skwirk, 2012). This work was

mainly factory work, producing good for the war (History Learning Site, 2012). A very

successful and memorable advertisement campaign was “Rosie the Riveter” (Ad Council, 2011).

This was to encourage and recruit more women to join in making products of war for the troops

(Ad Council, 2011). However, many of these hardworking women were expected to give up their
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jobs when the troops came home (Skwirk, 2012). Still, women had truly shown what they were

capable of in this time and that they could be equal in their abilities with men.

Demand for New Rights

By the 1960s, feminist movements spread and became more popular. Women at this time

were calling out for economic equality and sexual freedom. In 1964, Title VII of the Civil Rights

Act declared that it was prohibited to discriminate against someone based on their gender (The

Free Dictionary, 2008). This was a huge change for women’s rights advocates. By 1965, a group

called the Chicago Women’s Liberation Union was formed at the University of Chicago

(Encyclopedia of Chicago, 2005). More groups like this started around the same time, such as

NOW (National Organization for Women) in 1966 (Countrystudies.us, 2012). After NOW was

founded, one thousand women had joined (Countrystudies.us, 2012). Four years after its

founding, it had around fifteen thousand members (Countrystudies.us, 2012). Soon, the 1970s

brought more groups and stronger calls for equality for women. ACLU (American Civil Liberties

Union) founded in 1972, has worked to secure gender equality and give women freedom from

discrimination (ACLU, 2012). Even equality for female authors would come in the 1980s with

The Feminist Writers Guild (Encyclopedia of Chicago, 2005), the final score for women to have

true equality.

Conclusion

While the movement started in the 1800s, with the coming of the twentieth century and

World War II, women’s rights movement has made much progress in time to bring true equality

to women. However, it is clear, women are standing tall next to men today thanks to these

movements. There is more hope for women’s rights more than ever.
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References