Women's Rights Dbq

When women got the right to vote in 1919, women made a huge step toward equality but they still had a long way to go. But women continued making these steps toward equality for the remainder of the 20th century. 20 years after earning the vote, World War 2 occurred. Women took over almost of the workforce, and proved that they were an important part of society. Then later in the 1970s, the birth control pill was invented; women were now able to focus particularly on their career and having babies later. Two causes of the women's rights movement from 1940-1975 were influence of other rights movements and the need to achieve labor equality. The women's rights movements was in many ways inspired by other rights movements occurring around …show more content…
This was shaped in part by the famous case Brown vs. the Board of Education twenty years prior. This ruling made public schools desegregated. By showing that black people had the right to attend school with white people, it became more clear that all people should be able to participate in education. Even women. (Doc, 6). When the pill was invented in the 1960s, it also increased the discussion about abortion. Women began petitioning to have the right to choose to abort their fetus. Having children severely limited how much work a woman could do because women were generally homemakers who stayed home and cared for the children. If they were watching the children all day then they can't work. Being pregnant also negatively affects work. Between doctors visits and general feelings of unwellness and uncomfortability from pregnancy, women cannot come into work pregnant nearly as much as they would if they weren't pregnant. (Doc, 7). Back during WW2 the Royal Typewriter company produced a poster looking for female stenographers because all the men were away at war. Women made up a large part of the workforce during this time, and clearly they could perform the same jobs as men. Because women proved that they were not only capable, but very …show more content…
During the peace and freedom movement of the 1960s, protesting the Vietnam War, there was gender inequality present even among the protesters. Women typically had less important roles in the movement. In an inverse way, this inspired them. They were fighting for freedom, a better society, and equality between people. Yet they themselves were not equal. If they were to fight for equality for other people then they also needed to fight for equality for themselves and their fellow women. The peace and freedom movement was caused to stop the war in Vietnam. Because men and women were working together to end the war, women became increasingly aware of the fact that they were valued less than men even if they did the same work. (Doc, 3). Latina women specifically had a huge need to fight for inequality. They were inspired by multiple movements. They were inspired by the fight against the oppression of the working class, the fight against the oppression Chicana women suffered at the hands of men, as well as the general feminist movement. In a way, all of the movements coexisting during this time period all inspired and were inspired by each other (Doc, 5). The feminist movement especially affected by other