What Is The Historical Context Of The Women's Suffrage Movement?

The historical context of women’s rights and gender identity is a complex topic that continuously evolves. There have been significant changes over time, but this paper will focus on the stereotyping and discrimination faced by the four waves of feminists in the United States. Since legal protection and fundamental equal recognition of the rights of women are central to these topics, one must consider the Women’s Suffrage movement as a starting point in the United States.

The fight for women’s right to vote was a crucial milestone in establishing women’s rights in America. Largely considered to be the “First Wave Feminists” of our country, “The wave formally began at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 when three hundred men and

Women suffragists were characterized as “mannish” and other derogatory and divisive terms. As such, women’s gender roles became a hot point in the drive for equality. A woman who wanted to vote was putting herself on equal footing with men, and therefore, she did not want a home, family, etc. Unfortunately, women were still largely dependent on men in this time period, so many women were forced to curb any longings for outright equality, or risk being labeled as poor marriage material. Women also faced other forms of discrimination including verbal abuse, physical violence, social ostracism, and countless legal barriers. The fight for women’s suffrage saw changes in tactics and sentiments as it drew out over the course of nearly 100 years. Increasingly well educated young women were better able to strategize and “fight back” against the anti-suffragists, in the political and print-media propaganda arenas. Women were willing to put their health and well-being on the line as they implemented increasingly aggressive protest tactics in the drive to become a relevant political force. As women’s gender roles continued to be challenged and changed, so did the traditional view of sexuality and gender among women. Many women became empowered and formed long-term,

Discrimination became more prevalent and widespread in the second wave movement, perhaps exacerbated because of the transition from the a white-woman lead cause to one embracing all classes and ethnicities of women: “Whereas the first wave of feminism was generally propelled by middle class, Western, cisgender, white women, the second phase drew in women of color and developing nations, seeking sisterhood and solidarity, claiming "Women's struggle is class struggle”(Four Waves of Feminism, 2022b). In addition to redefining the context of gender norms and feminism, embracing the class label included women from many different worlds. It is not unfair that a group afraid of their “own” women striving for equality would be exponentially more fearful of women of all race and color impacting their world views, adding to the potential for action against this particular group, in a potentially violent manner. Of further concern is the backlash that women have traditionally faced for challenging traditional gender roles and advocating for equal rights. Just as the suffragists were exposed to aggressive, often violent treatment, so too are their more modern counterparts. Second-Wave feminists worked together to address the increasing violence experienced by women, not just as a reaction to feminist movement, but on a domestic level