Stanton fueled the movement for women’s suffrage. She advocated for change in both the public and private lives of women regarding property rights, equal education, employment opportunities, more liberal divorce provisions, and child custody rights. By addressing such a wide range of women’s issues, she laid down the foundation for the three main branches of feminism that are in existence today: Liberal feminism, which focuses on women’s similarities to men and emphasizes equality; cultural feminism, which celebrates women’s differences from men and aims for gender equity; and dominance feminism, which focuses on male power, female submission and aims to overturn all forms of gender hierarchy.
Stanton was among the more bold women’s rights advocates in her era in that she took on issues relating to marriage that other women in her sector would not attempt to do. Among the most controversial was divorce. She was under none of the popular illusions that marriage was a blessed institution. This made Stanton unpopular because Stanton compromised one’s own moral character, and the overall moral tone of home and family. In