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Written by Tej Sidhu
Gender equality: a topic that has been on a lot of people’s minds in today’s day and age. However, this discussion has been going on for centuries, and has been debated by many for generations.
Gender Equality was first popularized in the 18th century during the Enlightenment by Mary Wollstonecraft. A prolific writer on women's rights, the roots of gender equality can be traced all the way back to her time. She is considered by many to be a modern feminist and an outspoken critic of the patriarchal society around at that time. Although she was heavily criticized at the time for her seemingly radical thoughts and ideas, her writings and philosophy would set the stage for the advancement of gender equality all across the western world. Considering that she was alive back in the 18th century, it is quite astonishing that her goals have not been fully achieved in 250 years.
Mary Wollstonecraft's writing set the stage for perhaps the most important convention for women’s rights in US History: The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848. This convention would eventually grant women the right to vote, and would enable equal rights for women, socially, politically, and culturally. Although the movement did not gain much traction during the remainder of the 19th century, it was a crucial starting point to launch the large-scale women’s suffrage movement which would begin to gain popularity at the tail end of the century.
The United States women suffrage movement really began picking up in the late 19th and early 20th century. This movement was led by an organization called NAWSA, the National American Woman Suffrage Association, and it included many prominent members like Alice Paul, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Carrie Chapman Catt. This movement would gain large traction in the early 20th century and would succeed in convincing many western states to grant women the right to vote in elections. Despite major gains, the movement failed to create a foothold in many states. However, finally , through grassroots movements and women demonstrating their patriotism and importance to the United States during World War I, Congress and the States ratified the 19th amendment in 1920, granting women the right to vote.
Despite this success and the fact that women gained more rights throughout the 20th century, a crucial component was missing: a constitutional amendment guaranteeing equal rights. This amendment was proposed in 1923 and passed in Congress in 1972, but it failed to gain enough votes in the state committees. Consequently, nearly a century after it was first proposed, there is still no clear protection of gender equality within the constitution.
What is the significance of this history today? The rising gender equality movement has led to widespread support for equal rights. This support could be utilized to finally create and pass an equal rights amendment that would guarantee equal rights for all genders, and bring the nearly 250 year fight for equal rights for all to an end . Additionally, considering the numerous countries still struggling with gender inequality, the United States suffrage and women’s rights movement could provide a potential pathway for success. With many countries having a constitution, new amendments could guarantee these rights for all women across the globe, and not just the ones residing in the US.
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