Socioeconomic, Cultural and Technological Factors That Triggered Women’s Movement

Introduction

Gender national issues were the stepping stone for the feminism through women’s movements. It dates back to 1848. It came to the limelight in 1980s with the major influencers being Emma Goldman, Margret Sanger, Jane Adams and Carrie Chapman Catt. This was the first phase that lasted till 1930s. Women movement for liberty and equality suffered a blow in the World War II and collapsed. The movement gained momentum that marked the second phase. Betty Friedan’s book, the feminine mystique paved way for these movements to continue advocating for their rights, gender equality and liberty.

Thesis: this paper tends to analyze the Socioeconomic, cultural and technological factors that triggered Women’s Movement by considering the write ups of Friedan, Ruth Rosen, sexual revolutions and half the people.

Discussion

As an economic factor, women felt that they were being discriminated in terms of labor and the payments afterwards. Women wanted to get an equal pay for equal work compared to the men got. They were against gender based income discrimination. This surfaced through The Grange, or order of Patrons of Husbandry which was formed in in 1867. It promoted equal status of women and the principle was equal pay for equal work. Economic contribution from women, in which they realized that women in the work place were without formal education and industrial skills contributed to the economic survival of their families. Due to dangerous working conditions, low wages and long working hours led many female industrial workers to push for reforms. In the United States, there developed Women’s Trade Union League which constituted of both working class and well off women who supported and pushed for the reforms. It organized labor unions and eliminated sweatshops. The union wanted every woman in the society to be availed to a serene working environment that could.

The Niagara Movement is also considered to have triggered feminism. It was a Black Civil rights organization that supported the women’s movement. It was against all kind of gender discriminations that inhibited the growth of the women within the society. The organization helped prevent segregation against all people including women. Segregation that was directed towards women triggered the need by women to stand firm against their rights and with support from the Niagara Movement, they found it easy to speak out their feminism agenda. In addition to this, Jane Addams wrote a book titled Women at The Hague; this gave the women the insight of understanding their role in leadership. She attended the International Conference of Women and she became the chairperson of the Women’s Peace Party. The publication of the book after this conference resulted to three strategies for suffrage. First, they tried to convince the legislation to give the women rights to vote, secondly, they pursued the court against the 14th

amendment. The women pushed for constitutional amendments to grant them right to vote.

Legislative concern was another factor that triggered this movement. Women realized that they needed to pass reforms in the legislation that were to protect them from every kind of discrimination and achieve the reforms and to do this, they needed to vote. For this reason, the women suffrage movement became a mass movement. Women fought for The Temperance Act that was to prohibit men from drinking alcohol due to the difference it could bring. This act eventually became the article 18 in the constitution. It improved the life of women by ensuring that their drunken husbands were prevented from coming home to them. The women found the importance of pushing for other family based reforms by using this act as a stepping stone. Through the declaration of Sediments, women wanted a set plan for to follow in order to get their full rights. This declaration outlined and set agenda for the women’s rights. This declaration demanded foe equality with men before the low. They were against any kind of legislative discrimination and wanted both men and men to be equal under the same laws governing their jurisdiction.

Conclusion

The feminists’ movements that aimed at doing away with the gender discrimination is found to have been fruitful. In the contemporary society and the modern world, women’s rights are as well respected as the men’s. They have also continued to support and advocate for more equality and favorable gender concerns through technological platforms like internet as well as physically. It has gained global consideration and is recently being included in gender policy frameworks.