Women’s Rights

Worked by:
Elma Duravaku, Stejsi Wupi, Vjola
Nuro
Table of contents

A brief history about Important female figures of

By: Vjola Nuro By: Stejsi Wupi

Women’s history
03 Modern Feminism 04 month
By: Elma Duravaku
Women's rights in ancient civilizations

Women in ancient could buy, own, sell and inherit property. They could engage
in commerce and testify in court as witnesses. Nonetheless their husbands could
divorce them for mild infractions and a divorced husband could easily remarry
another woman provided that his first woman had borne him no offspring. Old
Babylonian law codes permitted a husband to divorce his wife under any
circumstances, but doing so required him to return all of her property and
sometimes pay her a fine.
 First Women’s Rights
Convention
The Seneca Falls Convention was the first women’s rights convention in the United States.
Held in July 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York, the meeting launched the women’s suffrage
movement, which more than seven decades later ensured women the right to vote. The
meeting was held from July 19 to 20, 1848 at the Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls, New
York. Despite scarce publicity, 300 people—mostly area residents—showed up. On the first
day, only women were allowed to attend (the second day was open to men).
The convention proceeded to discuss the 11 resolutions on women’s rights. All passed
unanimously except for the ninth resolution, which demanded the right to vote for women.
Stanton and African American abolitionist Frederick Douglass gave impassioned speeches
in its defense before it eventually (and barely) passed.
The "Waves" of
Feminism
The metaphor of “waves” representing the various surges of feminism began in 1968 when
Martha Weinman Lear published an article in the New York Times called "The Second
Feminist Wave." Lear's article connected the suffrage movement of the 19th century with
the women's movements during the 1960s. This new terminology quickly spread and
became the popular way to define feminism
First The first wave of feminism activism
Second
In Western Europe and the USA, the
wave included mass demonstrations, the wave feminist movement was resurgent by the
publishing of news, organized debates 1970s. Although the second wave of
etc. By the 1920s, women had won the feminism aimed to achieve “women’s
rights to vote in most European countries liberation” different groups had different
and in North America. idead on how that should be done.

Third
wave The third wave of feminism refers to
the American movement in the 1990s
and was a reaction to the backlash of
conservative media and politicians
announcing the end of feminism or
referring to “post-feminism”
Important female
figures of our
history
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
(1815-1902)

Author, lecturer, and chief philosopher of the woman’s rights and suffrage movements,
Elizabeth Cady Stanton formulated the agenda for woman’s rights that guided the struggle
well into the 20th century.
Although Stanton remained committed to efforts to gain property rights for married women
and ending slavery, the women’s suffrage movement increasingly became her top priority.
Stanton met Susan B. Anthony in 1851, and the two quickly began collaboration on
speeches, articles, and books. Their intellectual and organizational partnership dominated
the woman’s movement for over half a century. When Stanton was unable to travel do to the
demands of raising her seven children, she would author speeches for Anthony to deliver.
Susan B. Anthony
(1820-1906)

Champion of temperance, abolition, the rights of labor, and equal pay for equal work, Susan
Brownell Anthony became one of the most visible leaders of the women’s suffrage
movement. Along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, she traveled around the country delivering
speeches in favor of women's suffrage. Anthony was good at strategy. Her discipline,
energy, and ability to organize made her a strong and successful leader. Anthony and
Stanton co-founded the American Equal Rights Association. In 1868 they became editors of
the Association’s newspaper, The Revolution, which helped to spread the ideas of equality
and rights for women. Anthony began to lecture to raise money for publishing the
newspaper and to support the suffrage movement. She became famous throughout the
county. Many people admired her, yet others hated her ideas.
Matilda Joslyn Gage
(1826-1898)

Matilda Joslyn Gage was a pioneering suffragist, abolitionist, and Native American rights
advocate. One of the foremost theorists of the women's rights movement in the mid-1800s,
she criticized organized Christianity for its role in the oppression of women.
At the 1852 National Women’s Rights Convention in Syracuse, Gage made the first of what
would be many public speeches. She quickly became a pillar of the women’s rights
movement. Gage organized suffrage groups in New York and Virginia and worked as a
writer and editor for NWSA’s suffrage publications, including the History of Woman
Suffrage.
Modern Feminism
At its core, feminism is the belief in full social, economic, and political
equality for women. Feminism largely arose in response to Western
traditions that restricted the rights of women, but feminist thought has
global manifestations and variations.
The modern, fourth wave
of feminism
Although debated by some, many claim that a fourth wave of feminism began about 2012,
with a focus on sexual harassment, body shaming, and rape culture, among other issues. A
key component was the use of social media to highlight and address these concerns. The
new wave arose amid a number of high-profile incidents.
Arguably even more significant was the Me Too movement, which was launched in 2006 in
the United States to assist survivors of violence, especially females of colour. The campaign
gained widespread attention beginning in 2017, after it was revealed that film mogul Harvey
Weinstein had for years harassed and assaulted women in the industry with impunity.
Victims of harassment or assault around the world—and of all ethnicities—began sharing
their experiences on social media, using the hashtag #MeToo. The movement grew over the
coming months to bring condemnation to dozens of powerful men in politics, business,
entertainment, and the news media.
Modern Feminists
Malala Yousafzai
Climate activist and Global Citizen Hillary Colby has highlighted two incredible
women as her feminist heroes.
The first is female education advocate Malala Yousafzai, who won the Nobel Peace
Prize for her fight to ensure that all children have the right to education. Almost 10
years ago the Pakistani activist was shot by the Taliban for standing up for her right
to education. Today she stands firm in her activism as the founder of the Malala
Fund, a nonprofit organization that advocates for girls education.
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton has paved the way for female politicians in her many years serving
the country. She was the first female New York senator and the first female
candidate to be nominated for president by a major political party. She is also
known for her 1995 United Nation speech, during which she used the signature
phrase, “Women’s rights are human rights.”
Women's History
Month
Every year, March is designated Women’s History Month by presidential proclamation. The
month is set aside to honor women’s contributions in American history.
Women’s History Month began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California. The
Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of
Women planned and executed a “Women’s History Week” celebration in 1978. The
organizers selected the week of March 8 to correspond with International Women’s Day.
The movement spread across the country as other communities initiated their own Women’s
History Week celebrations the following year.