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Struggle for Gender Equality

Drastic changes were realized in the early nineteenth century in the United States of America. The changes ranged from political, demographic, economic as well as culture. It was also a significant period of democratization and industrialization alongside uneven gender lines. The Declaration of Sentiments, which was written by Stanton, captured broad issues affecting women, especially on the rights to own property, female education, the access to employment, opportunities as well as the democratic right to vote. The culture of Americans revolved around the theory of "separate spheres."[footnoteRef:1] The theory segmented gender roles as political and economical for men and domestic and consumers for women. Both men and women were expected to live up to their distinct roles as they get ready for marriage and family creation. The rise of Jim Crow initiated the conflict over gender roles, norms, political engagement, and cultural practices and values. Efforts have been ventured in the quest to realize a society free from inequalities arising from gender. Several individuals, mostly women, have worked tirelessly to fight for equal rights for all. Gender issues have been traced back in the early nineteenth century towards the twentieth century. Despite the efforts made, the society, especially women, still face inequalities in social and political positions. [1: Joseph, Locke, and Ben, Wright, eds. The American Yawp: A Massively Collaborative Open US History Textbook, Vol. 1: To 1877. (Stanford University Press, 2019), p. 100]

 In the early nineteenth century, the understanding of gender portrayed women as the custodians of virtue and the heads of spiritual guidance in homes. In relation to the idea that women were guardians of moral virtues, they were expected to give their contributions toward the decline of society morally, especially in prisons, and they did this work voluntarily. Women were also expected to be submissive, pure, religious, domestic, and were required to pass these virtues to their children.[footnoteRef:2] These virtues were attributed to genuine womanhood. The norms surrounding gender stipulated that women were required to stay back at home. Women also gave a helping hand to men in the building of a homestead. Women also expected to provide labor in fields to enable the provision of food for the family. Black women were seen to deliver work in agricultural farms with taxes levied on them, creating gendered labor division. The dominion of homes was on men who exercised authority over their wives and children. [2: Ibid, p. 201]

The property that wives possessed was taken over by men who gained legal control over them. Additionally, women were not allowed to engage in activities such as creating wills, contracts signing, voting, as well as divorce initiation. Prior to the onset of civil war, several states reformed the laws governing the properties of women.[footnoteRef:3] The one respect that was accorded to women was through their work in domestic management and taking care of their husbands and children. When men initiated divorce, it was never in favor of women and usually would taint the image of the woman in society and mostly leading to suicidal cases. [3: Ibid, p. 223]

Various female reformers worked tirelessly to initiate and increase the access of women to education services. These reformers saw that if women were to control their children's education, they as well needed to be educated. The movement proclaimed that the intellectual capacity of men was equal to that of men. Schools were then prominent, and as females were educated, they were as well trained to become teachers so that female education would spread across the country. Several women, including Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, among others, were then seen to get involved in the movement against slavery and the championing of women's rights.[footnoteRef:4] These women realized that fighting for women's rights would help them to champion the rights of slaves that were suffering during the colonial era. Additionally, the prevention of women to pursue college education as well as peanut salaries for female teachers were addressed by Antebellum women's rights. [4: Ibid, p.230]

Political positions were also reserved for women, as seen when Lucretia Mott was a member of the delegates in America who was attending the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London. Mott's husband was also a delegate to mean that gender inclusivity at some point was achieved. The democratic rights of women were also limited since no state was ready to issue women with the right to vote during the eighteenth-century period. All women from all kinds of races were deprived of their voting rights and denied opportunities in the making, discussion, and implementation of the law. In terms of political representation, husbands to the women were the only ones allowed to take part in claims that they were representing their wives. It was evident that most of the time, the law did not protect the rights of women as it did to men. The denial of equal political shares and rights were attributed to the perceived role of women in domestic homes as well as sexuality.

The phase of reconstruction was a wakeup call for all women to champion their rights. Around the 1860s, all women, including black Americans, were in a position to seize their political rights. The Women's Loyal National League, formed by Stanton, pushed for an amendment in the constitution to put an end to slavery. The call for changes was successful in the thirteenth amendment, which involved antislavery. Stanton was championing for universal rights for every individual with a motive to set an agenda that would cater for the equal rights to vote and equal acquiring of political positions.[footnoteRef:5] [5: Ibid, p.300]

Regarding the political climate in the south with individuals like Frederick Douglass, the universal suffrage would not be achieved easily. Frederick took a firm stand that the right to vote and political leadership was reserved for the black men and not for women. The petition pioneered by Stanton did not come to pass for about more than half of a century after it was signed. Following industrialization, which pushed for revolutions in the market since goods were in plenty, gender roles were redefined — women and children involved in economic activities which earned them wages that complimented men's salaries. Job opportunities for children were also available and established a ground for the investment of skills that would benefit them later in life as well as support their families.

Towards the twentieth century, gender equality was achieved as women attained both social, civil, and political citizenship. The discrimination that was experienced during the early nineteenth century was no more. Women have benefited from various state affairs, such as equal access to employment opportunities and education. Considering the fact that they have access to economic opportunities, they are seen to be unequal to men as they receive lower salaries than men.[footnoteRef:6] The emergence of stereotypes and biases have negatively contributed to the achievement of equal rights for all gender. These beliefs are often used to disqualify women from opportunities such as work. Gender roles have also been segregated as women and girls involve themselves in domestic chores while men engage in economic activities.[footnoteRef:7]  [6: Michael, Katz, Mark, Stern, and Jamie, Fader. "Women and the Paradox of Inequality in the Twentieth Century." In Departmental Papers (SPP), (2005), p. 45.   ] [7: Stephanie, Garlow, Gender equality stalls in the U.S., Stanford report finds, (2018). ]

In summary, there has been a struggle towards achieving equal rights and opportunities for both men and women. The struggle dates back to the early nineteenth century up to the twentieth century in order to understand the originality of this public issue. Besides the efforts of different icons, the issue of gender inequality still stands as a public issue in America. With regard to this, the integration of policies to address gender issues should be put in place for the realization of a sound society.

Bibliographies

Garlow, Stephanie. 2018. Gender equality stalls in the U.S., Stanford report finds. March 16. Accessed November 12, 2019. https://news.stanford.edu/2018/03/16/gender-equality-stalls-u-s-stanford-report-finds/.

Katz, Michael B., Mark J. Stern, and Jamie J. Fader. "Women and the Paradox of Inequality in the Twentieth Century." Departmental Papers (SPP) (2005): 45.

 Locke, Joseph L., and Ben Wright, eds. The American Yawp: A Massively Collaborative Open US History Textbook, Vol. 1: To 1877. Stanford University Press, 2019.