Women’s rights nowadays and the absence of them in the last hundreds of years have always interested me. When we think of women being a man’s property, we think of medieval times but even my grandmother couldn’t decide what she wanted to do with her life and needed the permission of her father. Our close relatives know what a time before our modern thinking ways looks like and sadly, many still carry these points of view. It’s of great importance that we are educated about the development of women’s rights which is why I would like to share some information about the progress that we as a society have made.
Feminism
In general, feminism describes the belief in the equality of the sexes in society, economy and politics. Feminism advocates abolishing the patriarchy, a social system where men hold all the power. Feminism is, contrary to what many still believe today, not anti-men but anti-discriminating structures that have been existing for thousands of years and are not only disadvantaging women, but everyone.
Before 1800 women all around the world didn’t have the right to vote, weren’t able to own property or have any right over their children or a divorce. Fortunately, these circumstances have changed, but it’s important to note how much work and fighting led to the rights that we, as women, enjoy today.
1848: Seneca Falls Convention
It was the first women’s rights convention organized by women and leads to the signing of the Declaration of Sentiments. The convention not only results in the women’s rights movement but also in a yearly national women’s rights convention.
1900s: Right to vote
The date of women gaining the right to vote varies strongly from country to country. Here are a couple of interesting dates: In the US women technically gained the right to vote in 1920, but there were exceptions in specific states. While some required women to own land to be able to vote, southern states systematically discriminated against Black women from voting until 1965. Germany, Sweden, Austria, Azerbaijan, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Luxemburg gave women full voting rights around 1918 and 1919. A majority of other countries gave rights in steps or extended their rights years later, for example, to indigenous people. The earliest voting rights were given on the Pitcairn Islands in 1838 and Hawaii in 1840 and the latest in Kuwait in 2005, Saudi Arabia in 2015, even though the country is an absolute monarchy, and the United Arab Emirates in 2006.
1974: Equal Credit Opportunity Act
It gave women in America the right to open a bank account and apply for credits without requiring a male co-signer.
1977: Working without permission
In Germany, my home country, women were not allowed to go to work unless they had the permission of their husbands or father. In 1958 Germany passed the “law of equality” which gave women the right to open a bank account and make their driver’s license without the signature of a man.
Over the last hundred years, we have already achieved a lot when it comes to equality. Nonetheless, there is still a long way to go for women’s rights, especially when it comes to black women, indigenous women, poor women or abortion rights.
I hope you liked this article and learned something about this still ongoing fight!
Sources:
https://interactive.unwomen.org/multimedia/timeline/womenunite/en/index.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwg-GjBhBnEiwAMUvNW4sCDPXq5OTLoiAAz-R0-cyZ3oN7Objoprtih5FhLzyYiB44JeAdcBoC0w8QAvD_BwE#/1980
https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/womens-history-us-timeline
https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/origins-womens-rights
https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/brief-survey-womens-rights
https://nyheritage.org/exhibits/recognizing-womens-right-vote-new-york-state/1848-womens-rights-convention-seneca-falls?gclid=CjwKCAjw1YCkBhAOEiwA5aN4AR2dyhWcd2DNQzsW8L22xaqRBCm3xEFFbVWbjMvCpGfamwKGxNFoVhoCYhoQAvD_BwE
https://learning-corner.learning.europa.eu/learning-materials/timeline-womens-rights-eu_en
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_suffrage
https://www.wndn.de/waehlen-eigenes-konto-eroeffnen-ohne-erlaubnis-arbeiten-hart-erkaempfte-rechte-der-frauen/