Historical Development of the Women´s Rights Movement in the United States, Britain and Germany

When we have a look at the historical timeline we can see that mostly men did had the power and did something great! The founding fathers: were men! Who discovered America? A men! Who invented the phone? A men! It took a very long time before feminism started and women began to organize themselves.

United States
- Anti-Slavery Society influenced some white female campaigners and the womens right movement lead to the Seneca Falls Convention (1848).
-Foundation of the Working Woman´s Association in 1868.
-1869: American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA)[conservatives] and B`National Woman´s Suffrage Association (NWAS) [radical feminists] are founded. --> agree to desirability of the vote
-1890: AWSA and NWAS build one organization: the Nationla Woman Suffrage Association
-1870s and 1880s: signed with "social purity" feminism, based on Evangelical principles like alcohol, violence and sexual excess. They are seen as masculine evils.
-1920: Amendment XIX is passed; it grants suffrage to women.

-1964: Civil Right Act prohibits discrimination.
-1965: National Organization of Women (NOW) is founded by Betty Friedan
-1970:Equal Pay Act
-1972Equal Rights Amendment Bill outlaws sex discrimination.
-1973:Women get the right to choose an abortion.



Britain
-middle of the 19th century: Industrial revolution and wealth of the British Empire created an army of working women (mill-girls, domestic servants, farm labourers, milliners, seamstresses, governesses)
-1840: International Anti-Slavery Convention: major issue, weather female delegates from the U.S. should be allowed to take part.
-1856: women are allowed to keep their own property and income. Married Woman´s Property Bill.
-1870: Parliamentary majority for a women´s enfranchisment Bill
-1901:a campaing organized by female cotton workers takes petition to Westminster; they are peaceful, non-militant but radical
-1903:Women´s Social and Political Union (WSPU) is founded by Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1928), its members organize a militant, sometimes even violent suffrage campaign, culminating in arrests,hunger strikes and force-feeding
-1918:Representation of the People Act extends franchise to women over 30, who are hosueholders
-1928: Representation of people Act realizes democratic univeral suffrage.

The women´s civil right movement in the U.S. influences the dicussion in Britain:
-1970:Equal Pay Act (effective in 1975); --> equal pay for equal women.
-1975:Sex Discrimination Act (makes discrimination on the basis of sex unlawful in employment, education, provision of housing, goods, facilities and services and adverisment)
-1978: Finance Act (women who pay taxes on a pay as you earn basis are entitled tp their own tax rebates).

Germany
After tens of years of fighting for the right to vote and equality, a law is passed: AT the 12th November in 1918 women get suffrage in Germany. 82% of them use their right for voting in January 1919. 37 women become Assembly women in the parliament.
1908:victorian Great Britain was a role model for the german women.
-->destroyed windows and chained themselves to railings or wrote slogans onto royal golf meadows with acid. "votes for women!"
-around the 19th century women from the U.S. and Europe fighgt for suffrage and political equality.
-In Germany it already started around 1848 with the revolution. The claimed for better education for girls.

But isn´t there still a problem?? The famous "wage-gap" ???