Womens Rights Movement

The Womens Rights Movement spans over a century and a half of progress towards a society in which men and women can be seen as equal. If it werent for the beginning of such a movement, its entirely possible that women would not be able to vote or work outside of the home and in the same jobs as men. The Womens Rights Movement arose from a political mindset holding that women should have the same right to vote that men have, but since then it has extended womens rights to all aspects of American life. The issue of womens rights is now more than just whether women can help choose political leaders, its also about whether women can be respected as much as their male counterparts and whether they have rights over their persons and the right to dignity. Women may have won the right to vote long ago, but womens rights are still very much an issue today. The Womens Rights Movement hasnt ended by any means and it continues to gain momentum.

The Womens Rights Movement began in 1848, when the first womens rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. A group of women and some men signed the Declaration of Sentiments which called for equals rights. Its important to note that while the stereotype of the chauvinistic male does exist, there are also equal minded men who have always been the allies of feminists. Feminism often evokes a negative connotation because people associate it with misandry, but true feminism isnt about the hatred and denigration of men. Feminism is about equality, and when its about anything else it becomes just as much about inequality as traditional misogynistic sexism.

Its been a long journey since then as the Womens Rights Movement has tackled issues such as birth control, homophobia, racism, work and education discrimination, divorce, rape, and abortion. Abortion is particularly a heated and controversial point of contention in modern times, perhaps because it is a right unique to women. Its one thing for women to be able to fill in ballots just like men can, but its difficult to liken the process of an abortion to any male experience. The concept of equality has evolved to include the right to choose, the right to ones own body. Such a right is difficult to determine because it manifests differently for both sexes, and as the Womens Rights Movement it will most certainly continue to be a matter of debate.