Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Contemporary Feminist Issues - Coggle Diagram
Contemporary Feminist Issues
Historical development of Voting rights
early political participation restricted to mainly wealthy male landowners
suffrage expanded to include broader groups of men - white men w/out property in 19th C
access to voting remained limited by racial discrimination, literacy requirements + economic restrictions
women's suffrage began to emerge during late 19th/early 20th C, but progress varied
expansion of voting rights show that democratic inclusion was gradual + shaped by social struggles, political activism + institutional resistance
Portugal
19th C voting rights limited to wealth men, gradually expanded by still required literacy + financial qualifications
Portuguese Republic 1910 - political participation increased but continued to exclude most women + many lower-class men
Carolina Beatriz Ângelo - first women to vote in 1911 - exploited legal ambiguity that allowed literate heads of households to participate in elections - law was modified to explicitly exclude women, institutional systems often responded defensively to challenges against gender inequality
Estado Novo - elections tightly controlled, women gradually allowed to vote but faced stricter requirements than men
1974 w/ Carnation Revolution did Portugal establish universal suffrage followed w. 1976 constitution - formally guaranteed legal equality between men + women
Global Women's Suffrage movement
Mary Wollstonecraft
argued women deserved equal educational + political opportunities
organised activism gained momentum during Seneca Falls Convention - first formal gathering dedicated to women's rights
New Zealand first country to grant women full voting rights in 1893
Suffragists + Suffragettes
suffragists
pursued reform through peaceful + institutional methods
lobbying, petitions, legal campaigns
goal was to persuade political elites + public opinion through constitutional means
Suffragettes
more militant + confrontational strategies
public protests, acts of civil disobedience + symbolic destruction of property
designed to draw attention to the movement + pressure governments into action
Militant movement in Britain
associated w/ Women's Social + Political Union founded by Emmeline Pankhurst
promoted "Deeds not Words" - direct action + public confrontation necessary for political change
art + propaganda - Sylvia Pankhurst w/ banners + campaign symbols - aimed to shape public identity of suffrage struggle
she also documented prison conditions + advocated for working-class women - suffrage activism intersected w/ broader social justice concernsm
movement gained national attention through large public demonstrations + confrontations w/ political authorities
provoked criticism + repression but also forced women's political demands into public debate + contributed to broader recognition of women's civic roles - WW1
repression + sacrifice
struggle for rights often involved imprisonment + physical violence
Emily Wilding Davison - militant protests, multiple imprisonments, hunger strikes
Davison became powerful symbol of suffrage after dying during a protest connected to a royal horse race in 1913
opposition + internal divisions
opponents argued that women were intellectually/physically unsuited for political participation or their involvement would disrupt family + social stability
some women also opposed suffrage - social movements frequently contain ideological/class-based/cultural divisions
political reform is not linear or unified - negotiation between different groups, competing strategies + resistance from both dominant institutions + members of marginalised communities
co-existence of moderate + radical strategies - common pattern in social movements, where internal disagreements often coexist with shared political goals
women's suffrage shows that democratic inclusion is shaped by prolonged activism, cultural change + political negotiation
reshaped broader ideas about citizenship, gender roles + public partcipation
Regional progressions
Americas : Brazil granted suffrage in 1932, while the US ratified it in 1920.
Europe : France followed in 1944. Some European nations were much later, such as Switzerland (1971), Portugal (1976), and Liechtenstein (1984).
Africa and Asia : Approximately 80% of African nations analyzed granted universal suffrage between 1950 and 1975, coinciding with the era of decolonization. More recent changes occurred in Kuwait (2005), the United Arab Emirates (2006), and Bhutan (2007).
barriers to full participation
demographic + literacy restrictions
many nations initially restricted voting based on race/age/education
US Black Americans faced discriminatory local restrictions until Voting Rights Act 1965
Canada + Australia excluded Indigenous populations for decades after non-Indigenous women gained vote
literacy requirements used in Ecuador/Hungary/Guatemala to limit participation
social class + autonomy
women's ability to make choices + access education heavily dependent on social class historically
inequality existed not just between genders but also w/ women of different socio-economic statuses
challenges in modern political representation
women still face significant hurdles despite increased representation like Angela Merkel + Jacinda Ardern
structural + economic barriers
women often lack access to same financial resources + male-dominated power networks
"double burden" of balancing professional careers w/ disproportionate domestic + caregiving responsibilities further limits their time + felxibility
institutional obstacles
political parties often favour male candidates through informal selection practices + leadership pipelines
some gender quotas exist but they don't always translate into substantive influence - only applied symbolically
gender-based political violence
women in politics face disproportionate amount of harassment, threats + sexualised abuse
violence used to delegitimise their authority + discourage them from remaining in public life
cultural resistance
long-standing perception of politics as masculine domain influences voter perceptions + party recruitment
reinforced by lack of early encouragement and training for girls to pursue leadership roles
pathway towards equality
institutional reforms
strengthening parity policies + implementing laws to combat political violence
cultural change
deconstructing gender stereotypes + expanding societal acceptance of women in power
support networks
building + strengthening institutional + collective networks to provide women w/ mentorship + strategic skills needed for governance
US Suffrage Movement
1913 Women's Suffrage Parade in USA
exposed tensions - black women asked to march at the back, although activists like Ida B. Wells-Barnett resisted segregation
deliberately schedules day before inauguration of Woodrow Wilson - maximise media + political attention
Washington DC
first large-scale protest demanding suffrage in USA
police failed to protect demonstrators from violence - shows resistance they faced
19th Amendment
1920 - made it unconstitutional to deny vote based on sex
didn't automatically guarantee all women could vote
women still faced state voting laws, citizenship restrictions + literacy tests
amendment removed gender as legal barrier but didn't eliminate racial + institutional obstacles to voting
key leaders
Susan B. Anthony + Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Declaration of Sentiments 1848
Seneca Falls Convention
outlined a critique of women's social/political/legal oppression
women and men are created equal
governments derive legitimacy from the consent of the governed
women were systematically denied fundamental rights.
It listed numerous grievances, including:
exclusion from voting,
lack of representation in lawmaking,
loss of property rights after marriage,
limited access to education and professions,
subordination in church and public life.
framed women's rights as political + moral issue, called for immediate equality in citizenship rights
comparison w/ Declaration of Independence
use similar language about equality and natural rights,
justify resistance to unjust political systems,
list grievances against a governing authority.
feminist declaration shifts focus from colonial independence to gender inequality - political system created a form of tyranny over women
reframes democratic ideals to include women as full political subjects
Complexity + Exclusion
complexity of suffrage movement
earlier narratives presented suffrage movement as straightforward story led by middle-class white women + culminating in 1920 amendment
instead of single national struggle, suffrage developed through local campaigns, state-level reforms + overlapping activism by diverse groups
many activists were women of colour + Indigenous activists - Frances Ellen Watkins Harper challenged dominant leadership within movement, pushing it to address racial inequality as well
exclusion within movement
was not unified or inclusive - some organizations excluded Black women
African American women in US South faced poll taxes + literacy tests
Native Americans + Asian immigrants excluded from citizenship, excluded them from voting
struggle for voting rights not a single event but ongoing + uneven process
How social change happens
activism, protests, and organized movements were crucial,
political reforms often occur after sustained pressure,
social change is usually gradual and contested rather than immediate.
do rights expand because societies become more morally progressive or because marginalized groups actively demand change?