👧🏻Women and Politics Unit 8 – Women's Activism in Politics and Movements

Historical Context

• Women's activism in politics and movements has a long history dating back to the early 19th century with the rise of the women's suffrage movement
• The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 marked a pivotal moment in the early women's rights movement, where activists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott advocated for women's right to vote and equal rights
• The passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920 granted women the right to vote, a significant milestone achieved through decades of activism and organizing by suffragists
• The second wave of feminism in the 1960s and 1970s broadened the scope of women's activism to include issues such as reproductive rights, workplace discrimination, and sexual harassment
  • Key legislative victories during this period included the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited discrimination based on sex
• The third wave of feminism in the 1990s and early 2000s emphasized intersectionality and the experiences of marginalized women, including women of color, LGBTQ+ women, and women with disabilities
• The #MeToo movement, which gained prominence in 2017, has brought renewed attention to issues of sexual harassment and assault and has led to increased activism and policy changes in various industries and institutions

Key Figures and Leaders

• Susan B. Anthony was a prominent leader in the women's suffrage movement and played a key role in the passage of the 19th Amendment
• Gloria Steinem, a journalist and activist, co-founded Ms. magazine and was a leading figure in the second wave of feminism
  • Steinem's writings and speeches helped to raise awareness about issues such as reproductive rights and workplace discrimination
• Bella Abzug, a lawyer and politician, was a vocal advocate for women's rights and played a key role in the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment in Congress
• Dolores Huerta, a labor leader and civil rights activist, co-founded the National Farmworkers Association and has been a leading voice for the rights of women and Latinx workers
• Tarana Burke, an activist and community organizer, founded the #MeToo movement in 2006 to support survivors of sexual violence and raise awareness about the prevalence of sexual harassment and assault
• Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani activist and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate, has become a global advocate for girls' education and women's rights
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a former Supreme Court Justice, was a pioneering lawyer and judge who fought for gender equality and women's rights throughout her career

Major Movements and Campaigns

• The women's suffrage movement, which began in the mid-19th century and culminated with the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, was a decades-long campaign to secure women's right to vote
  • Key tactics included public speeches, rallies, and marches, as well as lobbying and petitioning elected officials
• The women's liberation movement of the 1960s and 1970s encompassed a wide range of issues, including reproductive rights, workplace equality, and ending sexual violence
  • The publication of Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique" in 1963 is often cited as a catalyst for the second wave of feminism
• The Equal Rights Amendment, first proposed in 1923, sought to enshrine gender equality in the U.S. Constitution
  • Although the ERA was passed by Congress in 1972, it failed to be ratified by the required number of states by the 1982 deadline
• The #MeToo movement, which gained global attention in 2017, has led to a reckoning with sexual harassment and assault in various industries and institutions
  • The movement has led to the downfall of powerful figures accused of sexual misconduct and has spurred policy changes and increased support for survivors
• The Women's March, which began as a protest against the inauguration of President Donald Trump in 2017, has become an annual event and a platform for advocating for a wide range of women's rights issues
  • Subsequent marches have focused on issues such as reproductive rights, immigration, and climate change

Strategies and Tactics

• Grassroots organizing has been a key strategy for women's activism, involving the mobilization of individuals and communities to advocate for change at the local level
  • This has included door-to-door canvassing, community meetings, and the formation of local chapters and affiliates of national organizations
• Coalition building has been important for bringing together diverse groups of women and allies to advocate for common goals
  • For example, the National Organization for Women (NOW), founded in 1966, brought together women from various backgrounds to fight for gender equality
• Lobbying and political advocacy have been crucial for pushing for legislative and policy changes at the state and federal levels
  • Women's organizations have worked to elect women to public office, advocate for specific bills and policies, and hold elected officials accountable
• Direct action, such as protests, marches, and civil disobedience, has been a powerful tool for raising awareness and pressuring those in power to take action
  • The Women's Strike for Equality in 1970, which involved thousands of women across the U.S., helped to galvanize support for the women's liberation movement
• Media and public education campaigns have been important for shifting public opinion and countering stereotypes and misinformation about women's issues
  • For example, the "No More" campaign, launched in 2013, has worked to raise awareness about domestic violence and sexual assault and to encourage bystander intervention

Challenges and Opposition

• Women's activism has often faced resistance and backlash from those who seek to maintain the status quo and traditional gender roles
  • For example, the women's suffrage movement faced fierce opposition from anti-suffragists who argued that women were not suited for political participation
• Racism and discrimination have been significant challenges for women of color in the feminist movement, who have often been marginalized or excluded from mainstream women's organizations
  • The Combahee River Collective, a group of Black feminist activists, issued a statement in 1977 that called attention to the intersections of race, gender, and class oppression
• Anti-feminist movements, such as the "Men's Rights Movement" and the "Alt-Right," have sought to counter and undermine women's activism and to promote traditional gender roles and male dominance
• Funding and resource constraints have been ongoing challenges for women's organizations, which have often relied on grassroots fundraising and volunteer labor to sustain their work
  • The defunding of Planned Parenthood and other women's health organizations has been a major issue in recent years, with significant implications for access to reproductive healthcare
• Political opposition and legislative setbacks have been significant obstacles for women's activism, particularly in the areas of reproductive rights and workplace equality
  • The overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court in 2022 was a major setback for the reproductive rights movement, which has faced ongoing legal challenges and restrictions at the state level

Policy Impacts and Achievements

• Women's activism has led to significant policy changes and legislative victories at the federal and state levels
• The passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920 was a major achievement of the women's suffrage movement, which secured women's right to vote nationwide
• The Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 were important victories for the women's rights movement, prohibiting discrimination based on sex in the workplace
• The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 and the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 provided important protections for pregnant women and working parents
• The Violence Against Women Act, first passed in 1994 and reauthorized several times since, has provided funding and resources for the prevention and prosecution of domestic violence and sexual assault
  • The Act also created the Office on Violence Against Women within the Department of Justice
• The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 strengthened protections against pay discrimination based on sex and other factors
• The Women's Health Protection Act, which would codify the right to abortion and prohibit state-level restrictions, has been a major legislative priority for reproductive rights activists in recent years
  • Although the bill has passed the House of Representatives, it has faced opposition in the Senate

Intersectionality in Women's Activism

• Intersectionality, a term coined by legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, refers to the ways in which multiple forms of oppression and discrimination intersect and compound each other
  • For example, Black women may face discrimination based on both their race and gender, creating unique challenges and barriers
• Women of color have long been at the forefront of intersectional feminist activism, advocating for the specific needs and experiences of marginalized women
  • The Combahee River Collective, a group of Black lesbian feminists, issued a statement in 1977 that articulated the importance of intersectionality and the need for a more inclusive feminist movement
• Transgender women and non-binary individuals have also been important voices in the feminist movement, challenging traditional notions of gender and advocating for the rights and inclusion of gender-diverse people
  • The Trans Women of Color Collective, founded in 2013, has worked to support and empower trans women of color and to combat violence and discrimination against the trans community
• Disability rights activists have also pushed for greater inclusion and accessibility within the feminist movement, advocating for the rights and needs of women with disabilities
  • The Disability Justice movement, which emerged in the early 2000s, has emphasized the intersections of disability, race, gender, and other forms of marginalization
• Intersectional approaches to women's activism have been important for building coalitions and solidarity across different communities and movements
  • For example, the Women's March has emphasized the importance of intersectionality and has worked to include and amplify the voices of marginalized women in its platform and leadership

Contemporary Issues and Future Directions

• Despite significant progress, women continue to face ongoing challenges and inequalities in various areas of life
• The gender pay gap remains a persistent issue, with women earning on average 82 cents for every dollar earned by men in the U.S.
  • The pay gap is even wider for women of color, with Black women earning 63 cents and Latina women earning 55 cents for every dollar earned by white men
• Sexual harassment and assault remain widespread problems, particularly in the workplace and on college campuses
  • The #MeToo movement has brought renewed attention to these issues and has led to increased accountability for perpetrators, but much work remains to be done
• Reproductive rights continue to be a major battleground, with ongoing efforts to restrict access to abortion and contraception at the state and federal levels
  • The overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court in 2022 has led to a patchwork of state laws and has put abortion access at risk for millions of women
• The underrepresentation of women in leadership positions, particularly in politics and business, remains a significant challenge
  • Although women have made gains in recent years, they still make up only 27% of Congress and 8% of Fortune 500 CEOs
• Climate change and environmental justice are emerging as key issues for women's activism, particularly for women in marginalized communities who are disproportionately impacted by environmental hazards
  • The Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) is one example of an organization working to promote women's leadership in the fight against climate change
• Intersectional and inclusive approaches to women's activism will continue to be important for building a more just and equitable future
  • This will require ongoing efforts to center the voices and experiences of marginalized women and to build coalitions across different movements and communities