The Rights of Women Through History and Present
At one time in history, women’s laws were unheard of, they weren’t treated as equal as men and some were subject to harsh conditions. Women were thought of as housewives and they were only to tend to the household duties of a wife and not be able to work, vote, or be held at high standards like men. Over time these things all took a sudden turn in the favor of women and their advancement in society as well as professionals. The passing of certain women’s laws has granted them new rights and opened up new doors to what they can accomplish.
One of the most recent happenings in a court room of high importance to women came almost 40 years ago. This was in 1973 in the case of Roe vs. Wade, which affected women’s laws greatly. The decision in this case granted women the right, along with her doctor, to choose abortion in early months of pregnancy without any restriction, and with some restrictions in the later months, based on the right to privacy. The case was brought against the abortion law in Texas by “Jane Roe” (Norma McCorvey) who claimed (and was right) that the law violated her constitutional rights, and also the rights of other women. The decision of this case where Norma McCorvey won, invalidated all the state laws that restricted women’s access to abortions during the first three months of pregnancy. In turn, this decision made abortion legal in the United States. This was something that granted women a right to make a choice about themselves and their body in regards to the situation they found themselves in. Still today in different states we have issues with abortions and how they are seen in the eyes of different people. Some voters make their choices of a candidate during elections based on how that candidate stands on certain laws and views. Abortion is one of the biggest ones that is looked upon when making these considerations. So even though the decision in the Roe vs. Wade case shaped the rights of women, the dilemma itself still surfaces today in many areas.
Perhaps one of the most important causes that has to do with women’s law is that of women’s suffrage. This was the long and hard debate and struggle by women trying to gain the right to vote. They fought an extensive battle to prove their equality under the law and therefore the entitlement of their rights. In the United States, at some points in history women in New Jersey were given the right to vote from 1790 to 1807, as long as they met certain property requirements. This was a big deal considering they were able to vote, but it was soon after taken away. For the next several decades many activists, some famous names such as Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Stanton made their case heard nationwide. They voiced their opinion for equality in many conventions and gatherings and created an assembly dedicated to fight for the right to vote. By gathering a more organized group, others joined in and the numbers began to show. A lot of these women were jailed for protesting during these times, but this did not stop them nor slow them down. In 1920 their long battle came to a triumphant end, when President Wilson ratified the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. This amendment prohibited (and still prohibits) each state and federal government from denying any citizen the right to vote because of that citizen’s sex. The amendment was ratified by 36 states and rejected by 12 others, which eventually ratified it. Along with the United States, various other countries joined in to on promoting women’s laws by granting women the right to vote. Eventually this became a universal agreement, that was turned into international law in 1948. This was when the United Nations adopted the UDHR, known as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Another United Nations document that made clear the women’s right to vote was in an international convention adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly. This convention was known as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
As one can see, women’s laws have been shaped by many of these rights and documents granted to women after a long struggle over many years. Today these documents and conventions remain as a foundation in history to the rights and privileges women get to indulge in today like any other equal citizen. This has helped unite states and countries alike. Still, with equality amongst other citizens and given the rights these women’s laws gave them, the female population was still not protected in every area. Over time more laws have been passed to help protect women, their rights, and values. For example, for a long time women had dealt with issues such as sexual harassment in the workplace, or stalking by people, domestic abuse, or violence in general. All these areas have been addressed to better enforce protection of women’s rights through set laws and guidelines of how women should be treated. These laws made better the quality of life for women, and helped shape a better lifestyle for them and everyone.
Sexual harassment in the workplace was a problem in the United States for a very long time, and regardless of certain laws passed, still continues today. Of course the rate of which it happens has gone down, but that doesn’t mean it’s been eliminated greatly. The women’s laws passed (and for all genders) to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace did lessen the occurrences and they showed drastically in the number of cases filed. Still, this is not to say some cases have gone unreported due to the fear of the person for losing their job or further punishment. That is why with the help of the media the laws protecting women (and other victims of sexual harassment) it helped support them so they didn’t feel isolated. These laws were made public to show citizens that they did not have to fear coming out to report cases because of worry of reprimand or losing their jobs. In fact, when a legitimate sexual harassment case is made by a woman, and it is proven that it occurred, most of the time the offender is fired without pay and further prosecution can take place. Sexual harassment has been taken into account with a strong seriousness and has not been disregarded in any case that has been made. The women’s laws that protects them against such an offense do not only pertain to the workplace but also anywhere. In actuality, it can take place in general public, in a store, or anywhere it is presented. The punishment for such offenses has been fierce and will end up on the offender’s record proving difficult for them to land a job if convicted. With all these consequences to consider, the number of offenses has gone down drastically. The only downside to women’s laws, comes when they are used maliciously. Unfortunately there are cases that exist where women have claimed sexual harassment when it didn’t occur to try to exploit a person, fire them from the job, or simply do something wrong to them for some reason or another. Because of the credibility of the offense it’s tough to disregard such offenses, which usually gives the “offender” a bad name before he can even clear his own name. This usually doesn’t end well for the accuser, they usually face a lawsuit for defamation of character, and end up on the opposite side of the charge. It’s cases like these that give something meant to protect women a bad name, because it portrays the law as a weapon for malice or mischief as well. However, with the way investigations have advanced and progressed over the years, the number of these cases has also got down.
Another women’s law similar to these that protect women are ones that protect them is one designed to protect them from stalkers. Stalking is generally linked to harassment and is a form of harassment, it is just concentrated on one area. Women every year report thousands of cases of stalking in the United States. Stalking refers to any unwanted attention by a person that is given, which most commonly is in the form of excessive contact or following. The stalking and harassment law is an important women’s law (existing to any gender of course) that protects them from such instances. This law is designed to safeguard women from these offenders by allowing them to file a charge against them. Usually this can result in them being granted a restraining order against the subject from not only physical contact, but phone, e-mail, letters, etc.. Along with this law, there are laws that have become stricter on dealing with issues of domestic abuse. Many cultures promote the man being the head of the family, and sometimes they mistake this as a right to hit the woman when they are “out of line”. In the U.S. this is made clear that it is not the way of life expected, or welcomed, that is why there are laws protecting women from domestic abuse of a spouse or significant other. These can result in a restraining order as well, and show another step moving forward for women’s laws. With the continued progression of laws like these, the quality of life can be improved for women and society as a whole. They will continue to make an impact on women’s laws, and further the advancement of their rights.