Women’s Rights

Every country has its own history and culture that determines attitudes toward women. The perception of females is also dependent on the moral character of society. The question of male and female equal rights has occupied people’s minds throughout human history. The time flows, changing the role of women and men in society.
Equality between men and women is a key element of peaceful coexistence. Thus, gender discrimination is intolerable and should be eliminated. The question of women's rights as members of society has arisen recently as a result of the international women's movement. Despite numerous women’s tries to change their social position, they are valued less than men and take a passive role in political, economic, social, and cultural spheres.
All over the world, a woman is a symbol of independence and love as well as the mother of the world. During a long period of time, the question of women’s rights in human and world history is open. Talking about the discrimination against women, it exists for a long time. In the past, women were not allowed to express their views in public.
The primary aim of this research is to study how women in different times and historical periods struggled in a patriarchal society to abandon the role of wife, housewife, and mother imposed on them.
For more than one century, women fought for their rights, and they continue doing it nowadays. According to the present situation, it is possible that the most influential people in the world are four wise and powerful women, namely Angela Merkel, Janet Yellen, Hillary Clinton, and Christine Lagarde.
Women and men live in one world, but one might doubt that women have the same rights as men. On the one hand, women are living human beings and have exactly the same soul as men. On the other hand, women and men have different minds, and they are built differently; however, women the same as men are an integral part of society. Historically, women stayed in the shadow when it came to human rights. During many years and in many cultures, men were more aggressive, controlling, active and respectful.
Ironically, at the same time, society sees women as delicate and weak individuals, having emotional problems, and without voting rights. There are different opinions about a woman’s place in society, but the crucial point is that women are emotionally stronger than men. Apparently, men think that women have rights to bear and take care of children, while staying away from social life. The reasoning behind such perception is that girls are made to be mothers and housewives and must do their family duties. On the one hand, this is the truth, since only females are blessed with motherhood. On the other hand, that does not mean that women should be ignored in the world and history.
Indira Gandhi (the third India’s prime minister), Benazir Bhutto (a woman leader of a Muslim country), Margaret Thatcher (the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom) have shown the opposite. They proved that not only men are the best leaders in a country and in the world. Thus, they showed that a woman can manage a country better than any man.
In the West and East, the situation is different. In fact, western women have more privileges. They have the right to education, can make a career and have a good salary. All these features have caused decrease rights for women. There is a great quote by Abraham Lincoln against women’s position and women’s character, which declares, “You can fool some of the women all of the time, and all of the women some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the women all of the time.” Nowadays, women attained new position in society and exercise their human rights. Women around the world develop their ideas, plans, programs trying to change attitude toward them and their rights.
In today’s society, a considerable number of women suffer from men’s harm acts. However, to achieve progress, there has to be unity between woman and man, and women should have equal rights in all spheres. Thus, no one has any right to discriminate or use violence as a solution for any situation.

History

In the past, the idea that women should have equal rights as men was revolutionary and seemed absurd. In 1848, females were not allowed to vote, to hold a political position, to attend college, to enter most of the professions. The participants in the first women’s rights convention resolved to demand all of these rights. Thus, that was the first wave of women’s rights.
Perhaps, the most well-known activist fighting for women’s rights was Susan B. Anthony, who began a fight for the improvement of property rights for women. She expressed her position denouncing the women’s situation and place in a new democratic society. Moreover, Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Stanton were organizers of the first women rights convention in 1848. The main thesis of this convention declared "that all men and women are created equal”, and “that women have instant admission to all the rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of the United States".
The 19th century could easily be called a time of women. At that time, women decided to eliminate discrimination against them, and in 1920, they finally obtained the most basic democratic right, namely the right to vote. Step by step, they proceeded to their target. Eventually, they started to deliver speeches, organize marches, sign petitions. They proved that women deserve all of the rights and obligations of citizenship as well as men.
The second wave of feminism started in 1960. During this period of time, women focused on economic rights, equal rights in the workplace and reproductive rights. The equal right in the workplace provided a fair payment for women and men. Furthermore, many women and men had the same abilities; however, in spite of that fact, the salaries were not the same. In fact, this injustice exists now as well.

Education and working rights

In the 18th century, the situation with education became a little bit better. Young women from good families could go to school; however, more significant for them was not to study academic subjects, but to learn music. Nevertheless, there were several notable female scientists and writers in the 18th century. Hereby, C. Maria Kirch was a noted astronomer, while Emilie du Chatelet was a brilliant mathematician.
In the 19th century, women were focused on education rights to education and property privileges. In the late 19th century, women obtained opportunities in higher education; thus, working-class girls began to get some education.
Among famous female writers in the 19th century were the Bronte sisters, Jane Austen, and Elizabeth Gaskell. The first bachelor’s degrees got three American women from Oberlin College in the U.S. in 1848. The first Ph.D. acquired Helen Magill White from the USA in 1877. By the final stage of the 20th century, women were able to receive higher education almost in all countries around the world except for some African and Asian nations. Thus, women proved that they are not worse than men in any life aspect. Furthermore, a lot of women made such discoveries without which the current life would be impossible.
The status of “working woman” was achieved in the 20th century due to industrialization and national movements, which reduced to reforms that often included the liberation of women from home duties and their right to do military service. However, the concept of a “working woman” was not accepted in all states. Women did not want to surrender, and that helped them to overcome their fear to express their views and successfully accomplish some of the aims.

Interesting facts and statistic

Rothwell represents fascinating facts about women that take place in the history of the world. These facts represent a little part of all women’s achievements.

  • 17% of Congressional and Senate seats are occupied by women.
  • The two highest levels of IQ are belong to women.
  • 14% of women are active members in the U. S. army. In 1950, the amount of women included less than 2%.
  • The number of women in education, health and social institutions exceeds the number of men.
  • The only woman who won two Nobel Prizes was Marie Curie.

It is a shock for many people that after so many years of women’s fight for their rights they have to assert their position in today’s society. Despite the long history, there are countries in the modern world where men’s rights prevail. These countries are Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, and North America. Women in Middle East continue to feel discrimination in social life, and they do not have a freedom of speech.
However, over the last ten years, important steps were taken. In fact, considerable progress was achieved in Kuwait, in 2005, where women got the same political rights as men. In 2006 and 2008, in the United Arab Emirates, the first female judges appeared.
Monday offers statistical information about such country as Nepal to show the women’s level of life in non-European states. The author clearly demonstrates that Nepal’s women have fewer opportunities to exercise their rights in different spheres of life.

According to the statistics in Nepal:


  • 18% female population over 25 has secondary education
  • 33% parliamentary seats are held by women.

In Afghanistan, statics shows a worse situation:


  • 6% female population over 25 has secondary education
  • 28% parliamentary seats are held by women.
Apparently, in rural and tribal areas, women are not allowed to get education. However, men should remember that females would not give their rights and dignity at any price or under pressure.

World’s activists for women’s rights

The article “Malala Yousafzai” describes the complicated life of a strong and courageous girl, and her fight in the unfair society. The most famous and the youngest world’s activist fighting for the right to education Malala Yousafzai was born on July 12, 1997, in Pakistan. She was a girl studying at school that her father had instituted. In 2008, when she was just only 11 years old, she delivered a speech in Peshawar, Pakistan, after the Taliban began attacking the girls’ school in Swat. After that courageous act, she achieved worldwide recognition. In October 2012, on Malala was committed an attack, and she was shot but survived and continued her fight for the significance of education. In October 2013, Malala was nominated for the Nobel Prize, but unfortunately she did not win the award. That year, she got the Sakharov prize for Freedom of Thought. In 2014, the second time she became a nominee for the Nobel Prize and was the youngest person who won the Nobel Peace Prize and brought home the deserved victory.
The bright example of solid, smart, powerful and confident woman of the modern world is Hillary Clinton. In fact, she is a presidential candidate in the USA in 2016. She is one more representative of women’s rights activist who struggles for gender equality and wants to make this world better for women. During the World Summit, Hillary Clinton gave a speech in which she spoke about issues such as equal pay, health care, and sexual assault. Apparently, women of the 21st century are concerned about the end of violence against women, the right to an abortion, commercial sex workers’ rights, and gender privilege.
Over the past 100 years, humanity and rights have changed. Women held a strong belief in themselves. During all this time, men had many opportunities to stop all women’s fights for rights, but they surrendered which proves one more time that women are spiritually and mentally stronger than men. Although women were tired of life which was imposed on them by men, all these facts could not stop them.
Without women’s achievements, the world would not have so many discoveries in different spheres of life. In medicine, women attained huge findings. Marie Curie was a fascinating woman and a great chemist. She was the first women who had won two Nobel Prizes. In a male-dominated world, she succeeded in acquiring her professional career. As a result, she is a great example of a determined woman for females from all over the world.
The founder of the American Red Cross was a woman Clara Barton. The aim of this organization was to take care of soldiers during the Civil War. Interestingly, after all these years, this organization is not closed and helps people till nowadays.
If circumstances were different and men did not give their dominant position in society, women were left without the right to choose and all women's rights were limited, men would take power in their hands and the world would have only political and economic achievements.
There is a huge variety of women’s achievements in medicine, technology, science, politics and other spheres of human life. Although women went a long way throughout history facing men’s domination, they reached the most important aim in their lives.
Comparing the world with a balance, on one side of which are located women and men on the other and each bowl can pull one side or the other, there is the balance between these two bowls. Thus, people have to take into account that only the equality of the two bowls will lead to harmony in society and the world. Moreover, males and females should respect each other’s rights because they both need each other. Furthermore, the future generation could not be created if all human beings were only males. Hereby, the world should not forget this clear connection between women and men.
Studying information about women’s rights all over the world, one of the facts really impresses. In the age of feminism and opportunities for women, the fact that women in Saudi Arabia do not have any permission to drive a car is really unbelievable; however, that is true. Apparently, women in Saudi Arabia fight against this taboo and despite severe penalties, they started driving openly. The action was aimed at lifting the ban on driving imposed on them. Nowadays, Saudi women are dreaming that the day of free driving will come, and they will have an opportunity to drive in their cars without being punished. They proceed to fight for themselves and anticipate that women in Saudi Arabia will be accepted the same as men in society.
In conclusion, history demonstrates that women made a huge step from a patriarchal society to feminism. Today, modern women from almost all countries have crossed the line of men’s authority. Despite all difficulties on their way, they proved to themselves and world that women are equal with men in society. In fact, that is a huge achievement in women’s history. Women appreciate and improve themselves through education and new ways of thinking. The battle for equality between woman and man is constant and inevitable. Thus, there might appear discrimination against women on the grounds of rights to employment or education.
Women of the past generations have been deprived of opportunities that women of today’s world have. Much time has passed since the start of the Women’s Rights Movement, and many women have won more privileges. Women worldwide are fighting for their rights, trying to eliminate inequality.


About the Author: Ellie Hilton is content writer at SuperEssay. She likes active rest. Among her hobbies are swimming, dancing and traveling.

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