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By: Tej Sidhu
Gender Equality: a topic on a lot of people’s minds nowadays. Although it is a prominent talking point currently, the discussion has been going on for centuries and has been debated by many different generations. This article is going to give a brief overview of the history and origins of gender equality and its relevance in modern society. Although the article may seem focused on the United States when it comes to history, the importance of the advancements made in the United States can be effectively applied across the world, especially in countries in which women have yet to have even the most basic rights, like education and voting. Gender Equality was first popularized all the way back in the 18th century during the Enlightenment by Mary Wollstonecraft. A prolific writer on women's rights, we can trace back the roots of gender equality all the way back to her time. She can be considered one of the modern feminists and was 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 set the stage for a plan to gain women the right to vote and 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 setting stone and base 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 prominent states. Finally though, 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 women gaining 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 and failed to pass. Due to this, 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 which would guarantee equal rights to all genders and bring the nearly 250 year fight for equal rights for all, to a close. Additionally, considering the numerous countries still struggling with the issue of equal rights for women and gender equality, the United States suffrage and women’s rights movement could provide a potential pathway for success, and with many countries having a constitution, new amendments could guarantee these rights for all women across the globe, not just the ones residing in the US.