March is Women's History Month. What started as "Women's History Week" in California in 1978 evolved in 1987 into Women's History Month.
"Feminism" is a term frequently used to describe the combination of political, cultural, and economic reforms aimed at establishing equal rights and legal protection for women. The history of feminism in the U.S. is generally organized by three separate eras. The first feminist era was in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The second was in the 1960s and 1970s, and the third extends from the 1990s to the present.
Feminism has altered predominant perspectives in a wide range of areas within American and Western societies, ranging from culture to law. Feminist activists have focused on campaigning for these rights:
Legal rights: rights of contract, property rights, and voting rights.
Bodily integrity rights and autonomy; reproductive rights; access to contraception, abortion, and quality prenatal care.
Anti-Violence rights: protection against domestic violence, sexual harassment and rape.
Workplace rights: maternity leave and equal pay; against misogyny; and against other forms of gender-specific discrimination against women.
Learning Activity
Students will select one issue that addresses women's equality and rights from the listing above. Students should write an essay of at least 150 words that summarizes the history of that issue including the arguments about the issue, the major progress made, and any successful strategies employed to gain greater equality. The search pathfinder below provides three Document-Based Questions (DBQs) that will help students to use critical thinking in their essays.
Pathfinder
Select the Subject Heading search option > Type "women's rights" in the Search box > Click Women's Rights (see separate links to rights issues as well as DBQs—Document Based Questions)
