An Overview of Women's Rights Today

Women can finally go to school and choose careers

The successes of women's rights today

The world is quickly evolving especially in regard to women and there are monumental changes that are still occurring.In the past women were not able to vote and had no political rights,they were forced into marriage,they could not own money but women’s rights today have drastically changed.It would be hard to place ourselves in the shoes of those women of the past.It is further difficult to even imagine what they went through with men being considered superior to women,a thought which in turn provoked the Feminism movement.

Today the levels of equality have increased.For example Countries such as France and Iceland have improved the levels of women’s equality with both sexes having equal levels of income. Income disparities have reduced and the wage gaps between men and women has been reduced.In addition,various laws against sex discrimination and for the equal treatment of women have been passed over the years.

Women have also achieved great levels of equality in education.Equality of men and women within the family has also been witnessed. More women are now working outside the home and therefore resulting to equality between husbands and wives within the family and home. Wives today are more likely to have a larger voice in family decisions.

Why women’s right are still an unfinished business

Even though there are various successes women have achieved there are still many challenges that women face.There are countries where women still oppressed and women’s rights have not yet been embrassed.

For example developing countries do not have the same gender equality as developed countries because their social growth is instead going at a slower pace.An example is Afghanistan where a woman’s average life expectancy is forty-five years because of the high percentages of HIV/AIDS positive people and also the high levels of women dying during child birth.Its further saddening that in developing countries a woman dies every thirty seconds during childbirth.

In countries like Saudi Arabia its still illegal for any woman to drive.In other countries such as Mali ,it is so common that women are sold off for money if they fail to get married at a young age .There are no laws that prevent this degrading acts and this countries are therefore considered weak when compared to developed countries such as America where a lot has changed for women in the past decades.For example women in the U.S can now vote whereas this was a harsh reality for them in the early 1900.The success of women’s rights in the U.S has been accredited to the feminism movement.

Gender Inequality in the Workplace: What Rights do Women Have at Work?

Today women enjoy most freedoms that men enjoy.Many women have now joined the work force to work as doctors, teachers,lawyers,engineers, designers, truck drivers and many other professions.However, discrimination against women still exists in various forms, especially in the workplace. Women should therefore know their rights as workers and take responsibility to stop the violation of this rights in the workplace.

History of women's right to work

For a long time women had been denied the right to work as their role was to stay at home and take care of the family.Cultural practices restricted women from entering and participating in the workforce. They were therefore economically dependent on men, and this consequently resulted to women having a poor socio- economic status.Later on during the world war I and II women were employed in large numbers because men were few.However,there was too much discrimination in the workforce such as women being paid less and being fired when they got pregnant

Importance of women's right at work

Various laws in regard to women’s right to work have been put in place and make it illegal for employers to exclude qualified women from any available position. This is because employers would often hire qualified men and deny women the positions even though they had qualified.As a result of women’s right to work,women can now sue their employer if they feel that their employer has in any way secluded them from a position based on their gender.In the past,female employees would be paid lower than their male colleagues for the same position.Women can now go to court and sue their employers if they have proof that their male colleagues are being paid higher for the same position.Women’s right to work also help increase the status of women in the workplace.

• Right to work while pregnant.An employer should demote or fire a woman due to pregnancy,childbirth or pregnancy related illnesses as long as she can perform satisfactorily.Pregnant women in addition have a right to breastfeed at work and go for maternity.

• The right to be protected from sexual harassment.No employee or employer of any company where a woman works should sexually harass the woman in any way.Sexual harassment includes sexual comments, touching or making unwanted sexual advances.

• The right to equal pay.Women have a right to be paid equally with their male workmate for the same position.

• The right to be protected from network discrimination- Most recruiters of high status jobs are often men who hire other men and exclude women.Employers should not exclude female employees from any available positions as long as they are qualified wherein recruiters for high-status jobs are generally men who hire other men.

Benefits of women's rights to work

Workplace rights help women enjoy freedom to work in any position of their choice.They can be lawyers ,doctors,mechanics,drivers or even become executives of large companies .The society also benefits from the women’s right to work because when the financial status of a woman increases,the welfare of her family,children and the nation also increases.

Women's Rights Important Dates and Milestones

A Timeline of Women’s rights(1700-1900)

Unlike today,in the past,women did not have rights and there were various things that women were not allowed to do.The timeline below shows the major events in the development of women's rights and the year inwhich women obtained or were denied their rights in various areas such as education,medicine among others.Women's Rights Timeline 1700(18th Century)1718- Gender segregation was banned in Russia while in Sweden women who were taxpaying members of the cities guild were allowed to vote and stand for elections.However this right to vote was banned in 1758 and 1771.In the same year ,in the province of Pennsylvia.married women were allowed to own property in their own names incase their spouses became incapacitated.1722: There was a ban against force marriagesin Russia1753: Married women in Russia were granted separate economy

Women's Rights Timeline

1800(19th Century)1809: Married women in Connecticut,USA, were allowed to execute wills.1810: The Sweden Parliament confirmed the informal right of an unmarried woman to be declared of legal majority through royal dispensation.1811: Married business women in Sweden were allowed to make decisions regarding their own affairs without their husband’s consent.In the same year,married women in Sweden were granted separate economy and also allowed to choose profession.1821: Marrie women in Maine, USA, were allowed to own and manage property in their own name incase their spouse became incapacitated1827: The profession of becoming a school teacher was opened in Brazil. The first elementary schools for girls was also opened.1829:Satiwas banned in India while in Sweden midwives were allowed to use surgicalinstruments.1833: Oberlin College which was the first co-educational university was opened in Ohio,USA.In Guatemala, divorce was legalized .1835: In Arkansas,Massachusets and Tennessee,USA,married women were allowed to own and manage property in their own names incase their husbands got incapacitated.1839: Divorced mothers in Great Britain were for the first time granted custody of their children.In Mississippi,USA, married women were granted the right to own property in their own name.1840: In Texas and Maine,USA.Married womenwere allowed to own property in their own name1841: The first secular girls school In Bulgaria,made education and the profession ofteacher available for women.1842: There was compulsory Elementary school for both sexes in Sweden1843: Married women in Kentucky, USA, were allowed to own and manage property in their own name incase their spouse became incapacitated.1844: Married women in Maine,USA were granted trade license and in Massachusetts,USA married women were granted separate economy1845: Sons and daughters in Sweden were granted equal inheritance in the absence of a will while women in New York were granted patent rights1846: Unmarried women in Sweden had trade and crafts work professions opened for them1847: Elementary school was opened for both genders in Belgium.In the same year,the first high school for girls and the teaching profession was opened for women.1848:Married women in New York were granted separate economy by the married women’s property Act1849:Elizabeth Blackwellfrom USA became the first female medical doctor.First Female Medical Doctor, Elizabeth Blackwell1850: Elementary schools were opened for both sexes in France,but girls could only be tutored by teachers from the church.In Icelandboys and girls were given equal inheritance rights. In Oregon, USA, unmarried women wereallowed to own land.1851: Independent women in Guatamela were granted full citizenship.1857: In Maine USA, married women were granted the right to control their own earnings1858:Russia create a gymnasium for girls1861:Julie-Victoire Daubiéfrom France became the first female student while in Sweden the dentist profession was opened to women.In the same year,Lucy Hobbs Taylorbecame the first female dentist.1864:In Sweden husbands were forbidden to abuse their wives and the gymnastics profession was opened for women.1869:Arabella Mansfieldfrom USA became the first woman to enter the practice of law.1870: Sweden Universities became open to women with the first female student beingBetty Pettersson.1874:Aletta Jacobsfrom Netherlands becamethe first woman allowed to study medicine.In France, the First trade union became open to women.1886:Korea had the first educational institution for women,Ewha Womans University1895: Women in upper Canada were allowed to work as barristers. AWomen's medical universitywas also opened in Russia, which opened the profession of physician for women1898: Women became eligible to public charityboard in France.In Haiti, the Medical Universityaccepted female students in obstetrics.Women's Rights Timeline 1900 (20th Century)1900: Japan opened the first Women's University.In Germany Universities were open to women1901:In Sweden women were given four weeksmaternity leave.1924:Denmark had the first ever female minister in Western Europe is appointed whereNina Bangbecame appointed Minister of Education1754: There was the first ever female Doctor who is Dorothea Erxleben1771: Husbands in New york had to consult and have permission from their wives before selling property1774: Maryland,Husbands had to consult and have permission from their wives before selling property1776: Women from France who were tailors were allowed to join the guild of tailors1778: In Sweden,unmarried were allowed to leave their home towns and give birth and register birth anonymously.They were also allowed to have their unmarried status not mentioned in documents which were official so as to avoid social embarrassment.1786: Russia built Primary and high schools for females1787: Unmarried women were allowed into the trade profession in Massachusetts1788: In France Noble widows were allowed tovote to the French States General in the absence of male guardians.In the same year Female citizens in United States of America were allowed to stand for elections for federal offices.However,they were not allowed to vote.1789: France became the first country in Europe where there was a suggestion that women be in the Assembly of Estates.There were several demands to have women included in the reforms of the right to vote.1791: Women in France got equal rights to inheritance.This was however abolished in 18041792: Divorce was legalized for both sexes in France.However, this was abolished in 1804.In the same year,local women units of defense army were founded in various cities in France,even though women were not officially allowed to join the military1793: Women’s right to vote was discussed in the Parliament of France.That right was acknowledged but was put aside reason being that the time wasn’t right to make women’s right to vote a reality.