For the last 200 years, women have fought for their rights. This is what known as the women's movement, although the term includes different campaigns. The first wave of organized feminism-the fight for women's right appeared during the 1800s,and was concerned with legal rights and the right to vote. During the 1960s, a new wave of protest - the women's liberation movement appeared that made women's rights a global issue. By the 1990s, the women's movement had gained many victories and changed the society.
Here we will enlist some of those movements and about those women who made this possible.
Early stage of the movement.
In the 18th century, women had no rights- they were the property of their husband or fathers. Inspired by the French Revolution, women began to challenge this situation.
Mary Wollstonecraft(1759-97)
In the 1792 an English woman, Mary Wollstonecraft,wrote Vindication of the Rights of Women. She deplored the fact that married women were kept at home "confined in cages, like the feathered race", and called for an end to their oppression.The daughter of a farmer,taught school and worked as a governess,experiences that inspired her views in Thoughts on the Education of Daughters(1787).
Madame Bodichon(1827-90).
During the 1800s, middle-class women, such as Madame Bodichon(formerly Barbara Leigh Smith) campaigned for a married woman's right to keep property, and for the right to education and meaningful work.
Simone de Beauvoir(1908-86)
French philosopher, Simone de Beauvoir,was a major figure in modern feminism. In 1949, she wrote Le Deuxieme See, in which she drew on history, art, literature, and psychology to show how men had consistently denied women's identity. Her book was very influential and she herself campaigned actively for women's rights.
WOMEN'S LIBERATION MOVEMENT :
In the late 1960s, the women's liberation movement exploded on to the political scene. Increasing numbers of women around the world challenged oppression and traditional female roles. They demanded an end to all forms of gender discrimination, and campaigned around issues such as equal pay, job opportunities, Healthcare, childcare, abortion, violence towards women, and racism.
WOMEN'S MOVEMENT IN INDIA :
India has always been a male dominated society. Since centuries women have been taken as a property and caged by their husband's side. Inspired by the western reforms for women's rights, the male reformers of India started working for women's rights in the 19th century. This was the first phase. The phase began when Gandhi ji incorporated women's movement in the Quit India Movement and independent women's organizations began to emerge. Women in modern India are still coping with India's patriarchal culture.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY:
In 1908,socialists in the USA set aside one day for women's suffrage demonstrations. In the 1970s,feminists revived the idea, and today women worldwide celebrate 8 March.
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