This paper examines the evolution of women's rights in America, beginning with how the American Revolution transformed social structures and expanded opportunities for women. It traces the long struggle for political equality, culminating in the 1920 ratification of the 19th Amendment after 72 years of advocacy. The paper documents women's continued fight against workplace discrimination, restrictive labor policies, and gender stereotypes throughout the 20th century, while celebrating recent milestones such as Nancy Pelosi's historic positions. Despite substantial progress—women now comprise 75% of the workforce—gender-based wage gaps and unequal advancement opportunities persist, raising questions about how long true equality will take to achieve.
The American Revolution was unlike any other political overthrow that had occurred in the 18th century because it was the first truly successful revolution in history. By definition, a revolution causes the downfall of and methodical alteration of a well-known administration or political system by the people governed. This means that the people completely overtook and destroyed the previously ruling government and, as a result, established their own government. Therefore, the American Revolution should be considered a revolution.
Since the British gave a considerable amount of freedom to the colonists, the colonists began ruling over themselves without the need of the British Parliament. British Parliament's unnecessary rule began annoying and aggravating the colonists, who increasingly saw themselves as a separate nation due to their own self-governance. With a series of political missteps, outright mistakes, and unreasonable harsh punishments from the British, the colonists became united as Patriots, which gave them a mutual hatred for the government that ruled them. By 1776, when tensions were highest between the British and the colonists, the majority of colonists were convinced that Britain was on a mission to take away all their freedom, money, and reduce them to slavery. This united the colonists in their decision to establish a republic government when they became a new nation.
Not only was the British government overthrown and replaced by the Americans, but the entire social structure of America was changed. Women and African Americans gained more rights and were considered higher members of society. With a need for men to help fight, African Americans were allowed to volunteer in the Revolutionary War and fought side by side with slave owners. This helped African Americans' case when they fought for equal rights, because they had risked their lives with the white men for the same cause. They deserved to have equal rights in the new nation that they had laid down their lives for as well. When the men were out fighting, the women were left to take care of the house and keep their communities functioning. Women were forced into a situation that required them to become more independent, which, after the war, helped them realize how dependent they were before and how wrong it was for them to be so dependent on men.
Women have not always had the rights that we have today. Women have fought for equal opportunities, equal rights, and equal treatment as men for many years, dating back to the 1770s when Abigail Adams started to voice her feminist views. Many disagreed with her views and opinions. A woman's role was to tend to the house and family. It was the man who worked and provided. Men controlled society and women. The government protected men within the relationship regardless of mistreatment. Men were even able to gain custody of the children and all of the family possessions if the woman was able to free herself from the mistreatment. Throughout history, many women have sacrificed their lives to gain rights for women.
According to Edwards III, Wattenberg, and Lineberry (2008), in 1848 the first major step towards women's rights began on July 19th. Numerous women and men signed the Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolution, a petition requesting that women have the right to vote. It took seventy-two years for the 19th Amendment to finally be ratified, giving women the equal opportunity to vote (p. 158).
It was hard to choose simply one subcategory because they all tie into each other in one way or another. Women in the workplace go hand in hand with wage discrimination and comparable worth. Women were looked down upon by men as being weaker, less dominant, and less experienced. Women had gained the right to vote, but that was only the beginning. Women sought after to be treated in the same way in society. Quite a few groups organized to take a stand against communal injustice and unfairness against women. Women wanted the opportunity to pursue learning and a career, although public guidelines ensured that women continued to fulfill the role of housewife. According to Edwards III and colleagues (2008), women were able to work in the workforce, but were still not offered the same opportunities or equal treatment as men. Women could not work overtime, long hours, or do any heavy lifting (p. 158). The policy disabled women from pursuing the same career opportunities as men. Public policy basically ensured that women stay home and take care of the home and children while their husband worked outside the home.
Women that fought for equal rights and treatment would be extremely proud of the women in today's society. Women are very educated, and according to Collegetimes.us (2010), "In 1900, fewer than 20% of women participated in the labor market while today the number is around 75% and growing" (para. 2). There are still some disadvantages that women face in the job market. For instance, Collegetimes.us (2010) notes that a woman still makes less wages than a man and women typically work longer before receiving a promotion (10 Surprising Statistics). Women are very educated in today's society; they take care of their children while going to school and working while still accepting major responsibilities at home. Women should not have been and still should not be restricted from being presented with the same opportunities as men. The insecurities of men play a role in the discrimination of women. Throughout history, men have been the breadwinners of the family, offering little support to their wives when pursuing her goals of becoming a provider as well. The protectionist public policy is a great example of this point. The men of the American government wanted to protect women by not allowing them to work overtime, long hours, or do any heavy lifting, as if women are too frail to keep up with the job of a man. Women have proven to be very capable of achieving anything and everything they want, just like any human being, male or female.
Gilmore (2003) discusses the tactics of women during the 1970s and 1980s to gain the government's attention to address discrimination against women. The journal article discusses how women's organizations used drastic tactics to gain attention and involvement of more people participating in the movement for equal opportunity for women. The article is very interesting because it reveals that women of different organizations were targeting people through both radical and liberal tactics for establishing equality. This shows how organized women were at this time and how effective their plan for equality really was.
Women have achieved major strides over the past decades. According to Edwards III and colleagues (2008), in 2002, Nancy Pelosi was elected the first woman to head her party as House Democrat Leader. Later in 2007, Nancy Pelosi was elected to be the Speaker of the House of Representatives and became the first woman to hold this position (p. 160). Before Pelosi, other women made great strides to become the "first" of their position as a woman. A more recent event was the 2008 presidential campaign, when Hillary Clinton ran for presidency. Although she was not chosen as a primary candidate, she ran a strong campaign and was supported by many. These recent events truly show how far women have come and the obstacles that have been overcome.
Women are more equal to men than at any time in history through the great dedication of suffrage advocates and well-organized women's organizations. However, progress is not complete.
In today's society, women are still discriminated against. It may not be as obvious or as blunt as it has been in the past, but it still happens. Women still do not experience the same working conditions as men, although there are laws and policies to protect women from unfair treatment or even sexual harassment in the workplace. Although women's rights groups need less protection and are not as active as they were at one point in history, there is still a long way to go until women experience the same equal treatment and opportunities as men. There are still the "housewife" stereotypes that women have to face and break on a daily basis. Women have overcome many obstacles in the past, but one can only wonder: if it took over 50 years for one amendment to be changed to give women the right to vote, and the fight for equality for women began over 100 years ago, how long will our children have to wait to receive absolute equal treatment on all levels?
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