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Judith Sargent Murray writes "On the Equality of the Sexes"
In April of 1790, Judtih Sargent Murray's essay "On the Equality of the Sexes" was published in the Massachusettes Magazine. In her essay, she challenges the notion that women are inferior to men intellectually. Her essay, as well as many others after this first one promoting feminism, helped to ignite ideals of feminism while also influincing other female writers to promote feminism and gender quality. -
Seneca Falls Convention
n July 1848 more than 300 men and women assembled in Seneca Falls, New York, for the nation's first women's rights convention. Women were now well on the way to making strides for their independence in a now formal, organized movement. This raised awareness and gained a following on behalf of women's suffrage and women's rights. It made numerous other conventions possible. -
Suffrage Movement develops Two Associations
Led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony, the National Women Suffrage Association was much more radical and believed the best way to get vote was a constitutional amendment. The American Women Suffrage Association on the other hand was led by Lucy Stone, Henry Blackwell & Julia Ward Howe and was less radical. They believed the best way to get women's vote was a state by state fight. These two associations worked with (as well as against) Congress to get women's suffrage. -
Wyoming Allows Women's Suffrage
The territory of Wyoming passes the first women's suffrage law. The following year, women begin serving on juries in the territory. Nearly 50 years before the amendment was ratified, territories and states began to give women this right and helped to influence other states to do the same. -
Nineteenth Amendment
The 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote, is signed into law by Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby. This proved to be a great victory on behalf of many American women who fought for years to earn this basic right. It was a huge step for feminism and women being seen as more equal. -
American Birth Control League
The ABCL held the principles that We hold that children should be
Conceived in love, born of the mother's conscious desire, and only begotten under conditions which render possible the heritage of health.Therefore every woman must possess the power and freedom to prevent conception except when these conditions can be satisfied. This helped to push for contraception rights for women and helped to give them further control of their lives. -
First Women Senator
Rebecca Latimer Felton is appointed as the first women in the Senate in 1922 in the state of Georgia. She was a well-known suffragist and temperance advocate, like most southern senators of the time she was also an advocate of racial segregation. This was huge in seeing the potential in women to serve in the United States governement and opened new doors for what they can do. -
The Feminine Mystique
The Feminine Mystique is a 1963 book by Betty Friedan which is widely credited with sparking the beginning of second-wave feminism in the United States. The second-wave of feminism opened the debate to a wide range of issues including sexuality, family, the workplace, reproductive rights, de facto inequalities, and official legal inequalities.It inspired many women to speak out against these social wrongs and applied to women's fight for equality. -
Equal Pay Act
This legislature signed into law on June 10, 1963 by John F. Kennedy as part of his New Frontier Program, aimed at abolishing wage disparity based on sex. Since the enactment of this act, women's wages have risen from 62% of men’s earnings in 1979 to 80% in 2004. Despite the the accomplishments of the act, it never was fully acheived. -
Civil Rights Act and Title VII
The Civil Rights Act made huge strides in human rights and women's rights in Title VII. Title VII bars discrimination in hiringon the basis of sex. Therefore, it is lawfully wrong to not hire an eligible woman because she is a woman. This is extremely important to the history of woman's rights because it recognizes women as equals for jobs. -
National Organization for Women
The National Organization for Women founded in 1966 aimed to take action to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society now, exercising all privileges and responsibilities thereof in truly equal partnership with men. The organization focused on abortion and reproductive health services access, violence against women, constitutional equality, promoting diversity/ending racism, lesbian rights, and economic justice in order to end discrimination against women. -
Titlle IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments bans sex discrimination in schools. It states: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." As a result of Title IX, the enrollment of women in athletics programs and professional schools increases dramatically. -
Roe V. Wade
The case of Roe V. Wade involved the legalization of abortion. The case ruled that the states were forbidden from outlawing or regulating abortion performed during the first trimester of pregnancy, could only enact abortion regulations reasonably related to maternal health in the second and third trimesters, and could enact abortion laws protecting the life of the fetus only in the third trimester. This was very important to giving women the right to her own body. -
Pregnancy Discrimination
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act bans employment discrimination against pregnant women. Under the Act, a woman cannot be fired or denied a job or a promotion because she is or may become pregnant, nor can she be forced to take a pregnancy leave if she is willing and able to work. This movement helped to eliminate further discrimination against women in the work force. -
Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor is the first female to be annointedas a justice of the Supreme Court. By doing so, she proves a woman's ability to serve in positions previously deemed as for men. She stands as a strong female role model by representing women. -
Summary
Throughout the feminist movements and fights, women have strived to be accepted as equals among their male counterparts. This equality expands to women's rights as well. Women's rights spans from suffrage, education, work place environments, government representation, rights to their own bodies, and more. The feminist philosophy focuses on the methods and ethics of society from a feminist perspective. With this considered, feminist philosophy examines society's views of women.
