Women’s Rights in the United States – Have We Come Far Enough?

When a woman can prioritize her health and well-being, control her own finances and employment, decide whether and when to have children, and participate in family life as fully as men, the entire world benefits. But we still have a long way to go before every girl and woman can enjoy these fundamental rights.

A century after the women’s rights movement started with the Seneca Falls convention, a majority of Americans say they think it is very important that women have equal rights to men in the United States. Across demographic and partisan groups, the vast majority of people – including Democrats, Republicans, and those who lean Democratic or Republican – agree on this point.

But people are less satisfied when asked about the current state of gender equality in the United States. More people today than last year – including majorities of Democrats and Republicans, those with college degrees and those without them – say the country hasn’t gone far enough in giving women equal rights to men.

When asked what they would like to see in a society with equal rights for men and women, about half of those who say the country hasn’t gone far on this point list workplace equality as one of their top priorities. Specifically, 45% mention equal pay, 19% cite no discrimination in hiring and promotion, and 2% name better paid leaves and paternity/maternity support as things they’d expect to see in a society with women’s rights that are on par with those of men.

Other than equal pay, the other top priority for most people in a society with women’s rights is family stability – namely, the ability to stay home to raise children and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Some also note the importance of access to education, especially higher education, as a key element of this goal.

For those who say the United States hasn’t gone far enough on this point, more than two-thirds point to women’s suffrage as a key milestone in the advancement of women’s rights in the country. A similar share cites the availability of birth control as a significant moment in this struggle, although those who mention women’s suffrage and the birth control pill are more likely to correctly identify 1920 as the year that marked these events.

Some of the most significant moments in this journey – such as the right to vote and access to birth control – have been won through a constitutional amendment, while others have occurred as the result of international treaties. In terms of treaties, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is one of the most comprehensive documents on human rights in existence. Many countries have anchored some of its elements in their constitutions, but not all have done so. In those where this has not happened, it can be difficult to challenge legal structures that deny women the full range of their human rights. This is particularly true for women living in regions impacted by conflict, where they face significant challenges to exercising their sexual and reproductive freedoms.