The year 1920 is very important for women around the world. In this year women were given the right to vote.
However, women then didn't have the same rights as men. Women's rights have considerably changed in the last decades, although there are many countries in which women's rights are still non-existent.
Some of the limitations on women's rights were:
1. Most married at a very young age.
2. Women were having children at a much younger age, too.
3. Oral contraception didn't exist.
4. Women could get fired for being pregnant.
5. They couldn't sue for sexual harassment.
6. They would face difficulty getting a credit card.
7. Marital rape wasn't criminalized.
8. Women couldn't get an Ivy League education—with a few exceptions.
9. There were no women in the military.
10. Legal abortions didn't exist.
11. Serious discrimination ran rampant in the workplace.
12. In many states, women couldn't serve on juries.
And, of course:
13. They didn't have the right to vote.
BUT
THERE ARE MANY WOMEN WHO HAVE FOUGHT FOR
WOMEN'S RIGHTS
Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797)
wrote
the most significant book in the early feminist movement, A Vindication of
the Rights of Women. She was a true pioneer in the struggle for female
suffrage.
"The beginning is always
today."
social
activist and leading figure in the early women’s rights movement. She was a key
figure in helping create the early women’s suffrage movements in the US.
“The best protection any woman can
have... is courage.”
Betty Friedan (1921-2006)
wrote
The
Feminine Mystique ,a best seller. She campaigned for an extension of
female rights and an end to sexual discrimination.
“Aging is not lost youth but a new stage
of opportunity and strength.”
was a
Kenyan environmental and political activist. In the 1970s, she founded the Green Belt Movement, a non-governmental
organisation promoting environmental conservation and women’s rights. She was
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her contribution to fighting for
democratic rights and especially for encouraging women to better their situation.
“African women in general need to know
that it's OK for them to be the way they are - to see the way they are as a
strength, and to be liberated from fear and from silence.”
Shirin Ebadi (1947
– )
was
awarded the Nobel Peace prise for her work in promoting human and women’s
rights in her native Iran. She was one of the founders of the Nobel Women’s
initiatives supporting women’s rights around the world.
"I maintain that nothing useful and
lasting can emerge from violence."
Malala Yousafzai (1997 – )
Is a Pakistani
schoolgirl who defied threats of the Taliban to campaign for the right to
education. After surviving an assassination attempt, she became a leading
advocate for women’s rights, especially the right to education.
“One child, one teacher, one book, one
pen can change the world.”
Dolores Huerta (1930 – )
is a
labor leader and civil rights activist who, co-founded the National Farmworkers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers (UFW). She has
received numerous awards for her community service and advocacy for workers',
immigrants', and womens' rights.
“Every minute a chance to change the
world.”
Rigoberta Menchú
(1959 – )
has
worked her whole life to publicizing the plight of Guatemala's indigenous
peoples and to promoting indigenous rights in the country. She received the
1992 Nobel Peace Prize and Prince of Asturias Award in 1998.
“We
have learned that change cannot come through war. War is not a feasible tool to
use in fighting against the oppression we face. War has caused more problems.
We cannot embrace that path.”
Mirabal Sisters
were
three Dominican sisters who fought against the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas
Trujillo. They were killed in Nov. 25, 1960. They fought for a democracy and the
UN, in 1999, designated November 25 as the International Day for the
Elimination of Violence against Women in their honour.
“Young people have to defend their
rights, they have nothing to lose and much to gain.”
Frida
Kahlo de Rivera (1907
– 1954)
Her
work has been celebrated in Mexico as emblematic of national and indigenous
tradition, and by feminists for its uncompromising depiction of the female
experience and form.
“At the end of the day, we can endure
much more than we think we can.”
Clara Campoamor
Rodriguez (1888 – 1972)
was
the lead advocate on women’s rights and suffrage during the creation of the
Spanish constitution in 1931. She is credited with insisting upon the clause in
the constitution that ensures gender equality today.
“¡Poor male politician, who stick to the
hope that nothing will be transformed in this country, that nothing will evolve,
that nothing and nobody will spiritually awake, and will work towards future!”
Federica
Montseny (1905 – 1994)
was a
unique combination of revolutionary and dedicated social reformer who became
the first female Cabinet minister in Spain. She was a lone woman in the then
all-male world of Spanish politics. As a minister, she improved orphanage
conditions, created schools for prostitute rehabilitation, and attempting to
safely regulate abortion.
“The people themselves, and only the
people determine the rhythm of our fight.”
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