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Introduction
“The right to be free” is one of the fundamental elements of democracy and evangelical religion. This, combined with the faith progress during the 19th century, resulted in a nation always ready to develop new ways to improve its institutions. Quoting Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” The 19th century saw the first wave of the reform period, where different groups of people came together to fight for their rights and abolish practices that we’re denying them their freedom (ushistory.org). They fought to acquire world peace, equality in education, better conditions for prisoners, Negros rights, labor rights, abolition of slavery and women rights. All these reforms bore great results that have each played a role in making America the most powerful nation in the world. However, the most significant reform of them was the Women rights movement that has seen the modern woman enjoy privileges such as voting, the right to property and being professionals regarded as men before.
Women’s Contribution to Reforms
Women took part in the fight for human freedom through the various reforms just as fiercely as the men did. For example, most of the urban reforms were implemented by women through labor strikes to improve working conditions (Religion and reform slide 25). Also, they led the movement to reform education, with women such as Catharine Beecher and Mary Lyon being the first people to establish a female seminary and college, respectively, in the United States (Religion and reform slide 24). However, they had limited liberalism and could only experiment to a certain level while observing the limits set for them by men. Soon, they began diverting some of the attention and creativity they used to fight for others to create a tone of opportunities for themselves.
Formation and Successes of the Women Rights Movement
The purpose of America’s revolution was to win the patriots freedom from the patriots, but the women, even when they had taken equally tremendous risks throughout that period, had no civil, marital, education, employment or religious freedom (ushistory.org). The turnaround for this unfair treatment of women came when Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott came together to form the first-ever women rights movement. They were both motivated by the discrimination they faced because of their gender during the World’s Anti-Slavery Convention in London in 1840. This was the first wave of women rights reforms in the U.S.
Women were considered less productive, potential and too emotional to be involved in politics. For this reason, they got their rights to vote and run for public offices much later than men. The Women Rights Movement formed in 1848 had its focus majorly on women’s civil rights. However, the right to vote eventually became a central issue as this was the one way to achieve the other reforms. The 19th amendment was signed into law in 1919, allowing only white women to vote, but as the fights continued, all the other women were allowed to vote and run for political seats by 1965. Today, it is hard to imagine such a world because women vote and have taken up considerable amounts of top political seats. Hillary Clinton became the first woman to run for the presidency in the United States, coming close to winning, while most recently, Kamala Harris became the first female vice president. Women have a tone of positive influence on the areas they are responsible for. Their sociopolitical attitudes are more compassionate, egalitarian and other-oriented while supporting traditional morality than men.
Impacts of Women in Modern Politics
The participation of women in politics has had a significant impact on gender equality, a wide range of policy issues and the types of solutions offered. Research indicates that the gender of the legislators greatly determines the kinds of policy priorities. Therefore, with the increase in the number of women in politics, the nation has enacted more policies that address the concerns of the marginalized people. Additionally, more policies enhance the quality of life and prioritize the value of family, racial minorities and women. Unlike men, women tend to adopt a less hierarchical, more participatory and collaborative form of leadership. For instance, 25 per cent of female lawmakers in the U.S. report that they have received more support from their female counterparts in the opposition party compared to only 17 per cent of male legislators (Allen 18). Working across party lines assist in delivering democracy more effectively across all citizens.
Further, female lawmakers have been able to identify and address women issues and those of society at large more broadly than men do. They perceive the government as a tool that helps them manage the problems of the underrepresented groups (Hessami, and Lopes da Fonseca 9). Legislators in the U.S. agree that due to women being in these positions, policies have become more sensitive and responsive to the constituency needs.
Studies indicate that Congresswomen sponsor at least three more bills on average per term than their male counterparts. Additionally, they co-sponsor 26 more bills than Congressmen per term (Congressional Research Service 11). Their districts also receive 9 per cent more money than what districts led by males do due to their resourcefulness. This totals to an extra 49 million dollars for citizens in districts headed by females (Kliff par 13). More money means more development for these districts. They have also been responsible for policies that have raised the standards in essential issues such as health and education. Fourteen per cent of female legislators expressed that healthcare was one of the most urgent areas to be addressed compared to only 6 per cent of male legislators (Allen 26). There is a need for this kind of balance in the houses to ensure maximum representation of all human needs.
As a result of the reforms by Women Rights Movements, women have control over their bodies, especially their reproduction and sexuality. The birth control movement created a new vision for women’s freedom and enacted it by educating women about the available birth control methods. From these early fights, modern women have control over whether or not they want to become mothers and when. They have the freedom to decide how many children they would like to have based on their health and economic status. With this, the nation can control its population, and more people now get children they can afford and hence a lesser burden to the government.
Conclusion
Therefore, the women rights movement was the most important because it led to more women engaged in politics. Their participation is crucial for the nation’s development and deliverance of democracy as it is supposed to be. Their impact so far is undeniable; there is more equality in education, not just based on gender but other factors such as ethnicity and sexuality. They have been at the forefront fighting for better healthcare systems, and the nation is more intentional about addressing issues the minority groups encounter. Their empathetic and caring nature is reflected in the shift of policymaking and the types of solutions offered nationwide. There is no more effective tool for development than that that empowers women to be the best in whichever field they choose.
Works Cited
Allen, Carmen. “Women Representing Women’s Interests in Congress”. The Keep, 2022, Web.
Class readings (ppt)- Hist6-Religion and Reform Congressional Research Service. “Women in Congress: Statistics and Brief Overview”. Congress.Gov, 2022, Web.
Hessami, Zohal, and Mariana Lopes da Fonseca. “Female Political Representation and Substantive Effects on Policies: A Literature Review”. Econstor.Eu, 2020, Web.
Kliff, Sarah. “The Research Is Clear: Electing More Women Changes How Government Works”. Vox, 2017, Web.
Ushistory.org. “Revolutionary Changes and Limitations: Women [Ushistory.Org]”. Ushistory.Org, Web.
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