Women's Rights In The 1920s Essay

The era of 1920s had remarkable changes for women. This time period solved the major conundrum that women were fighting for. In August 1920, the congress passed the 19th amendment that gave women right to vote. It became the end of women’s struggle for their rights and changed the social status of women. However the women suffrage movement didn’t completely solve that issues that women were facing. There were lot of problems that got their solutions during 1960s. Starting 1960s women began to fight to break the traditional role that society made for them. Besides being a good mother and wife, women wanted to end the discrimination between men and women, to have the right to work, to get education and to build career. Although the limited rights

of women in America, it didn’t interfere women to fight and have successful achievements during 1960s because the new emerged activist leaders and their strong organizations were ready to fight to change the social status of women inside the nation and out.
Women in America were successful in achieving legal and social equality because the powerful leaders were fighting to change the traditional picture of women in society. One of the biggest activist is the first lady of United States, Hillary Clinton. She is known as the 67th Secretary of State, serving President Barak Obama. As being the First Lady of United States Clinton fights for women’s rights in America and other nations. For example, American daily newspaper, New York Times, introduces the article “Hillary Clinton, in China, Details abuse of women” published by an author and formerly chief correspondent for the New York Times, Patrick E. Tyler. In the article author summarizes Clinton’s speech about devastating abuse that of women around the world face. In her speech Clinton says, “If there is one message that echoes forth from this conference, let it be that human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human’s rights, once and for all”. From this quote that author mentions in the article is apparent that Clinton supports the idea that women need to live in equality and freedom. She claims that human rights are women rights and when women are being burned or murdered because of their marriage dowries being too small, it should be seen as a violence toward the human rights and should be punished by the law. Another modern feminist who was the first president of National Organization of Women is Betty Friedan. She is known as a women activist leader who was fighting for women equality. The Jewish Women Archive demonstrates an article “Betty Friedan” by a journalist and professor of New York University, Marion Kaplan. In the article author tells about Friedan’s life and her achievements in women’s rights movement. Her own experience and the problems of other women gave her idea to write her book The Feminine Mystique that immediately became the best-seller in 1963.In her book Betty Friedan shows the struggles of the traditional middle-age women and suggests causes and solutions. The author of the article tells, “At a time when more and more women were entering the workplace as working mothers, Friedan argued that women should not accept their inferior status at home or in the work force.” This quote demonstrates that Betty Friedan was fighting for two things: women equality in workplace and their protection for rights. And Hilary Clinton and Betty Friedan can be seen as major feminist leaders who had remarkable role in achieving success from 1960s until now. They both introduced the major problems and fight to solve them and spread equality and safety for women around the world.
The major organizations around the world help women to successfully achieve social and legal equality from 1960s until present. They introduce the problems women face and help to solve them. One of the biggest organizations that fights for gender equality and other women issues is American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). In 1961 ACLU established Women’s Rights Project that works to protect women and girls around the world from violence, discrimination and helps them to get quality education. In the article “About the ACLU Women’s Rights Project” provided by the authors of ACLU, talks about the establishment of the new organization and its success achievements. One of these achievements is a case that was concentrated to solve the problems for poor women and women of color. The authors of ACLU describe the case when saying, “We developed a litigation docket involving non-traditional jobs, such as truck driving, the skilled trades, and production line factory jobs. Such jobs require relatively little education, often provide on-the-job training, and are much higher paying than traditional "women's jobs." In this part of the article they introduce the help that ACLU provided for women who need jobs. They found jobs that don’t require high education and with this the organization helped poor and women of color to have jobs. There are many other successful cases about sex discrimination and much more that show the hard work of ACLU. Similarly there is another big American organization, National Organization for Women (NOW) founded in 1966. It fights against the federal government to pass anti-discrimination laws. In the historical document that was adopted at NOW’s 1st National Conference Betty Friedan demonstrates the issues that women face and the ways to solve them. In her speech Betty Friedan says, “We believe that the power of American law, and the protection guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution to the civil rights of all individuals, must be effectively applied and enforced to isolate and remove patterns of sex discrimination, to ensure equality of opportunity in employment and education, and equality of civil and political rights and responsibilities on behalf of women, as well as for Negroes and other deprived groups.” In this part of her speech Friedan talks about the power of the law and how the U.S constitution should guarantee equality of civil rights, educational and employment opportunities for all women. With this speech Friedan calls all women to join NOW and to fight for their rights. These two organizations are very successful in fight for women to be educated, to never face violence and sex discrimination.
Women were successful in achieving legal and social equality because from 1960s until now Congress passes laws, amendments and legislations that protect women’s rights.

Throughout many years women were working very hard to get the world to accept their rights. It is crucial the amendments and legislations passed by the congress that for women need to be obeyed. One of the amendments passed in 1972 is The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) which guarantees women equal rights. In the article “The History behind the Equal Rights Amendment” by Roberta W. Francis, Chair, ERA Task Force National Council of Women's Organizations, is talking about the history of ERA. In the article author mentions, “The Equal Rights Amendment passed the U.S. Senate and then the House of Representatives, and on March 22, 1972, the proposed 27th Amendment to the Constitution was sent to the states for ratification.” The ratification deadline was placed seven years and in 1977 Indiana was the 37th state that ratified the ERA. This amendment officially guaranteed equal rights for women that women were fighting for years. Similarly in 2009 President Barak Obama signs the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that ended the pay discrimination. The New York Times newspaper introduces the article “Obama Signs Equal-Pay Legislation” by a journalist of New York Times, Sheryl Gay Stolberg that tells the purpose and the goal of the legislation. In the article author mentions the quote from Obama’s speech when he said, “equal –pay legislation will send a clear message that making our economy work means making sure it works for everybody”. With this legislation women and men will be paid the same amount of money for doing the same job. This will make sure that there is no pay discrimination and will make women equal to men. Both the ERA and the Equal-Pay Legislation passed by the Congress protect women by giving equal rights socially and

legally.
Although in America and around the world women had limited rights, they never stopped fighting for their equality. Starting 1960s until now feminist leaders like Hilary Clinton and Betty Friedan always reached to protect women in America and around the world. They encourage women to be confident and never feel less than men. The traditional role of women (mother, wife) slowly broke down. Also big impact in women’s rights movement had the organizations like NOW and ACLU. They work very hard to protect women from discrimination, to give women education and equal rights, to end women violence around the world and much more issues that women faced. The success of women rights movement can be seen in legislations, amendments and lows that congress passed in protection for women. All these events and people influenced women to keep fighting to live in a life where women can be educated, can have a job and be mother and wife.