How has the struggle for women’s rights evolved? What major factors have caused this evolution?

Women’s movements in America are firmly based in Abolitionist and Temperance Movements of the early 19^th century, and swiftly moved into the fight for women’s suffrage. Its biggest figures into the mid 19^th century are Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, who led the Seneca Fall Convention of 1848. These women fronted the movement to fight for women’ right to property, contracts, marriage, and business. The fight for women’s rights focused around the right to vote, because it was understood that it would open the door for the rest of their requests as citizens of the United States. With the winning of women’s suffrage, women’s rights groups focused on equality in the social sphere, and helped to push along civil rights issues that still exist as issues today.

Women’s issues have moved from voting, into equality with men. This means that equality in education, business, working environments, and other  social spheres were large part of the women’s movement along with organizations like NOW. The most recent issues that face women’s rights advocates is the issue of abortion, as el as sex-based discrimination. These are big issues today that come to be very divisive at times.