The Women's Rights Movement

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The women’s rights movement has been a long continuing struggle. Most accounts would point to two periods in which it has gained the most popularity. The first upsurge started with the right to suffrage in the 19th century. The second wave emerged in the mid-1960 and continues on up to today. It mainly focused on a variety of issues concerning women and securing a more equitable environment for them. This paper would attempt to briefly account the historical background of the first wave which focused on the women’s right to vote and ultimately paved the way to the continuing struggle that women still encounter to the present day. The women’s right to suffrage movement is a call to reform the federal law that does not acknowledge the right …show more content…
Following the several milestones of the group in lobbying with the states for women’s suffrage, there were always other factions that did not agree with the movement or were impatient with the progress it achieved. These issues led to other groups being formed that adopted a different approach. Alice Paul, a young activist formed the rival Congressional Union which was later named the National Woman’s Party. This group wanted a more militant stand with picketing, mobilization, mass rallies and marches to gain more awareness among the public in general. With this more confrontational approach, the group was able to draw the younger generation to its fold. It also was responsible in reviving the struggle to have a federal equal rights amendment. It steadily attacked the President Woodrow Wilson’s administration which they accuse as obstructing the extension of the right to vote to …show more content…
This movement had enabled the women of today a number of liberties they now enjoy. The right to suffrage became a starting point for women having a voice and being a salient member of society. It has enabled women to realize potentials that may not necessarily be enclosed in a home setting. It had furthered the struggle to embrace other social issues that women are facing. An example is to focus on the prevailing labor condition that needs to be given proper attention as well. These are issues on equal pay for equal work and allowing compensation that is parallel to that of the men. It also opened new doors for women in demanding equal access to education which was usually denied to them. With the new avenues to new potential career paths, women can now venture into industries that have long been exclusively occupied by men. Essentially, with all these changes in society, women are slowly being economically viable as an individual and thus a productive member of