Women’s Rights Around the World

In some regions of the world, progress on women’s rights is far from complete. In countries such as Afghanistan, where women face discrimination in the workplace and in politics, women cannot even vote. The country’s recently introduced mandatory photo screening at polling stations has further made voting difficult for women from conservative areas, which generally require women to cover their faces in public. Additionally, maternal mortality continues to be high in many regions and unpaid care work continues to limit women’s enjoyment of their rights.

Although the United States has made strides in the last decade to achieve gender equality, many adults disagree. The same poll showed that most Americans feel that gender equality has not yet been achieved. In 2017, half of respondents said that the country had not gone far enough in granting women equal rights to men. Only 28% said that progress had been made about right, and 10% said that things were still far from where they should be. It is also important to note that attitudes have changed among Republican and Democratic women.

Women’s groups were formed to advocate for their rights. The United Nations created the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in 1946 as part of its Human Rights Division. Since then, the UN has held a series of world conferences on women’s issues. These conferences helped create a global forum for women’s issues and demonstrated the importance of applying universal principles to diverse cultures. These groups continued to grow throughout the twentieth century. These conferences, however, did not lead to any concrete action.

Gender equality is vital in achieving economic prosperity. Unpaid care work, poor working conditions and low pay undermine women’s economic rights. In addition, women are denied the right to own land and inherit property. They have fewer resources, power and influence than men, and they spend more time doing domestic work than men. Their economic and social rights are often undermined by discriminatory laws that restrict the types of work that they can do. These laws prevent women from achieving economic success.

Women’s rights began to rise in importance in the twentieth century. After the Second World War, women began organizing to fight for equal political rights in most European countries. Emancipation of women was a key objective. Women were able to take up full-time jobs, divorce their husbands, and attend college. The struggle for women’s rights was far from over. The emergence of modern women’s organizations led to the creation of the NAWSA.

The ACLU Women’s Rights Project focuses on gender-biased institutions, such as workplaces and employment. The organization’s campaigns focus on laws and policies that exclude women, which perpetuate persistent disparities in their income, wealth, and social security. Further, the ACLU continues to push for systemic reforms in institutions where women are excluded. This is critical to preventing women from committing crimes and ending gender-based violence. So, how can we promote equality and ensure women’s rights?