Womens rights
The Women's Rights MovementAfrican Americans were not alone in their struggle for equal rights; for generations women have been fighting to ensure that they were not discriminated against based on their sex. In her essay, Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan says, "So she made the beds, shopped for groceries, matched slipcover material, ate peanut butter sandwiches with her children, chauffeured cub scouts and brownies, lay beside her husband at night-she was afraid to ask even to herself the silent question-"Is this all?"(494). Though they remained silent for many years American women all over the world had these same feelings of entrapment. The women's rights movement began back in 1848 when Elizabeth Stanton started the fight for her rights as well as all women's rights. She held a convention to discuss all the areas in which women have been discriminated against. For the next forty years women followed in Stanton's footsteps holding conventions in order to seek out some sort of justice. In their fi
ght they saw many speakers, lobbyists, and political strategists until they achieved real results. In the last century the status and rights of women has improved considerably. The problem with abortion has existed for the entire history of this country. This mentality is not easily resolved, because it is introduced at a very young age. The abortion issue brought about the second wave when the National Organization of Women began a campaign. How many thousands died as a result of these illegal abortions; no one really knows. Instead of pursuing the dreams they have hidden deep down inside without realizing the sexism in it all. The female has as many goals as the male, but statistically females are unable to realize these goals because of the obstacles that society sets in front of them. In her essay, A New Egalitarian Life Style, Gloria Stienam says, "The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn. Subtle sexism continues to exist throughout educational, economic, professional, and legal areas. Women did not feel they were given the same opportunities as men, and without a fight they would be forced to live their lives in misery. There were approximately a million abortions done every year, of which only about ten thousand were done legally. Yet within the last ten years it is beginning to resurface once again.
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