Women’s Crusade for Equality

Women’s Crusade for Equality

Discrimination against women is when any differentiation or limitation is imposed based on gender, aiming to hinder women's equal enjoyment of political, economic, social, cultural, or civil human rights compared to men. Women's rights encompass the entitlements and claims made on behalf of women and girls worldwide. While some nations have integrated these rights into law, custom, and behaviour, others still neglect or suppress them. 

Women possess the right to live free from both violence and discrimination. They have the right to enjoy the highest possible standard of physical and mental health, receive an education, own property, participate in voting, and earn equal wages. Nevertheless, many women and girls around the world continue to encounter discrimination based on their sex and gender.

The Women's Strike for Equality, which occurred on August 26, 1970, in the United States, marked the 50th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment, which granted American women the right to vote. This rally was organized by the National Organization for Women. In 1884, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott convened the first convention addressing women's rights in the United States. A prominent figure in the temperance reform movement was Eliza Daniel Stewart, often referred to as "Mother Stewart." She played a pivotal role in this crusade. Another crusade figure was Eliza Jane Thompson, who advanced the cause by visiting saloons, praying, and encouraging owners to pledge to stop selling alcohol. They urged saloonkeepers to dispose of all alcohol and transition to a new business. The Women's Crusade provided women with an opportunity to engage in the public sphere. In this crusade, women employed religious methods due to their extensive experience in this realm. This movement had a lasting impact on women's involvement in social history and led to the formation of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. Despite initial hesitance about women's participation in the Temperance Movement, women achieved significant milestones that led to the closure of numerous saloons across the United States. The movement empowered women to advocate for their rights while asserting their growing influence in the public domain.

The Women's Strike for Equality united a diverse group of protestors. Even at that time, women did not possess many of the same freedoms and rights as men. After the establishment of the UN, progress was made through the creation of specialized bodies that provided a platform for women globally. Conferences on Women, including those in Mexico, Copenhagen, Nairobi, Beijing, and New York, inspired various movements. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) proved to be pivotal in addressing women's issues. It has catalysed the development of domestic violence laws in countries such as South Africa, Korea, Nepal, and Turkey, laws against femicide in Panama, and legislation addressing violence against women in Burkina Faso. Additionally, it has contributed to anti-trafficking laws in Moldova and Ukraine, as well as gender-responsive budgeting laws in Sri Lanka, among others.

Nevertheless, women's rights violations are still justified by many countries as cultural or religious practices. There is a pressing need to merge mainstream human rights and specialized women's rights to achieve the goals set forth in various conventions

Author: Payal Kabra, ILS law College,Pune.