Women's Rights Quote #17

Today...something from the Irish suffrage movement...in honor of St. Patrick's Day:

You know how deep is the conviction of the best women in Ulster ... this claim has reached all parts of the Province, all grades of society, all creeds and classes, that the possession of the franchise ... is an absolute
necessity ... it is impossible for women to do their duty, and to protect their interests and dignity, without the same weapon men find essential for the same purposes. -- Tod, ‘Women and the New Franchise Bill’, pp. 396-403., as quoted by Urquhart, Diane(2002) ''An articulate and definite cry for political freedom': the ulster suffrage movement', Women's History Review, 11: 2, 273 — 292

Women's Rights Quote #16

"As they passed the rows of houses they saw through the open doors that men were sweeping and dusting and washing dishes, while the women sat around in groups, gossiping and laughing.

"What has happened?' the Scarecrow asked a sad-looking man with a bushy beard, who wore an apron and was wheeling a baby carriage along the sidewalk.

"Why, we've had a revolution, your Majesty -- as you ought to know very well,' replied the man; 'and since you went away the women have been running things to suit themselves. I'm glad you have decided to come back and restore order, for doing housework and minding the children is wearing out the strength of every man in the Emerald City.'

"Hm!' said the Scarecrow, thoughtfully. 'If it is such hard work as you say, how did the women manage it so easily?'

"I really do not know,' replied the man, with a deep sigh. 'Perhaps the women are made of cast-iron."
— L. Frank Baum (The Marvelous Land of Oz)

Read more about the connection between Baum and the women's rights movement here.

Women's Rights Quote #15

"THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT

Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification." 

The Equal Rights Amendment, first proposed in 1923 to affirm that women and men have equal rights under the law, is still not part of the U.S. Constitution. 

 

The ERA was passed out of Congress in 1972 and has been ratified by 35 of the necessary 38 states.  When three more states vote yes, it is possible that the ERA could become the 28th Amendment. The ERA could also be ratified by restarting the traditional process of passage by a two-thirds majority in the Senate and the House of Representatives, followed by ratification by legislatures in three-quarters (38) of the 50 states.

Find out about the simple justice of this amendment ... and join the historic effort to achieve equal rights for women and men at EqualRightsAmendment.org.

Women's Rights Quote #14

I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is:  I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a door mat or a prostitute.  ~Rebecca West, "Mr Chesterton in Hysterics: A Study in Prejudice," The Clarion, 14 Nov 1913, reprinted in The Young Rebecca, 1982