With the United States new found independence from Great Britain in 1776, the ratification of the Federal Constitution consisted of every state requiring some form of property ownership, typically a freehold estate, as a qualification to vote. A freehold estate proved that someone was independent; when a person was definitely independent it was obvious that they had no serious need for change. Most landowners were free white men who were often wealthy. Voting often excluded people given the gender or race. Eventually, women wanted to vote; however, restrictions on voting directly said that this was not allowed, thus the Women’s Suffrage Movement was born. There was a central feeling among most men that women either did not want to vote, or …show more content…
“Men presumed that women really did not desire the vote. Some argued, however, that women were competent to vote, regardless of their desire to do so” (Cogan). The central thought among most men was that mind capacity changed as gender changed. Women were thought to have a particular, inferior, subsequent mind capacity; thus women were not allowed land ownership or voting rights. However, women themselves disagreed with such theories, women wanted to have the same regards as the opposite gender. So began Women’s Suffrage, a movement centralized around the idea that if women had the same capacities as men, they simply had to demonstrate a stake in society to qualify the suffrage as it was (Cogan). The Women’s Suffrage Movement adamant leaders including Elizabeth Cady Stanton and “Virginia Free Woman,” spread ideas by writing to newspapers, spelling out the issues that women faced. One popular newspaper run by the Women’s Suffrage Movement was the Women’s Suffrage Journal. In a 1889 copy of this newspaper, women are encouraged to “Vote!Vote!Vote!” in the one election that women ratepayers had the right to vote in, “It is of the utmost consequence that women should exercise their votes on this occasion” (Becker). If women ratepayers voting in these elections were showing their suffrage …show more content…
Women now comprise more than half of the United States workforce, earn college degrees and hold about half of management and professional jobs. Still, relatively few have obtained top executive and/ or political positions of leadership. Women are also still earning less than men for comparable work. One may argue that women have limited their own progress in the quest for full equality, a controversial argument. “Others say persistent cultural and economic barriers are the main reasons the feminist movement remains a work in progress a half-century after it began” (“Women and Work”). After women gained the right to vote in 1920, feminism waned, until the ‘silent second wave’ when women worked their way into the workforce. As these Women’s Suffrage Movements were successful, there hasn't been much done to look into women in the workforce. However, women are now coming through, as feminism grows again, and showing how much is done by women, thus pointing out unfair workplace