Evolution of Women Rights

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Women’s rights were the least of concerns in ancient times. Most cultures viewed a woman’s place like the kitchen, bearing children, and activities around the homestead, unlike the males who were viewed as the stronger gender in the community. The women were viewed as lesser beings as compared to men. In Russia, for example, before the Russian revolution, women did not have the rights to vote and secure jobs like their male counterparts CITATION Mar17 l 1033 (Frederiksen, 2017). The women did not even have the opportunity to go to school and study to build their careers but rather were under the males who made every decision for them. Women were merely treated as a man’s property as per the traditions, and they followed the orders as stipulated by their husbands or fathers. Men oppressed women, and it was okay in the eyes of the society which considered women as answerable to the men. However, women were empowered and became aware of their rights which led to the fight for their freedom. The fight for the rights of women in the United States, for instance, dates back to before the civil wars. The women have overtime desired to be given rights the right to live free from violence, slavery, and discrimination, to be educated, to own property, to vote, and to earn fair and equal wages just like the males. The UN has also been instrumental in ensuring that women rights have been made a priority through the empowerment of women and fighting for gender equality to eliminate discrimination of women in the society. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the evolution of women’s rights both in the United States and Ghana, and come up with comparison and contrast of evolution of the women’s rights in the countries.

Before the American Revolution in 1765, women in American were considered as mere home keepers and child bearers and no rights as their male equals. Women had limited access to education, job opportunities and had no rights to vote. The place of women was at homesteads. The women were not allowed to own property in their names or generate their wealth. Homemakers were considered to be of great importance to the economy and cultural values rather than equals to the men. However, in 1809 the first woman, Mary Kies, was granted patents for weaving and in 1839 all women in Mississippi were granted the right to own property in their names as long as they got the consent of their husbands. The grant to own property became a breakthrough in the advancing of women rights.

The fight for the rights of women begun in 1848 in New York City, when women aspired to vote. A women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls whose aim was to achieve the reforms put in place by the women’s rights movement through the acquisition of voting rights. The convention had been as a result of a previous World Anti-slavery Convention in 1840 whereby a speaker had shone the light on the need to address the situation of women CITATION She18 l 1033 (Tobias, 2018). Elizabeth Stanton attended the convention where she met Lucretia Mott who was the speaker in the convention. A declaration of sentiments and resolutions document was signed by both men and women who had attended the women’s rights convention which would later present the grievances of women including; denial of the right to own property and wealth, limited access to education and job opportunities, and the rights to vote. Women were required to hand over their money and wealth to their husbands who were to manage it for them. The signed declaration of sentiments and resolutions would deliver women from the bondage of discrimination and oppression. The women’s rights conventions would then be held regularly onwards.

In 1849, the first female doctor, Elizabeth Blackwell, graduated from Geneva medical college in New York and together with her sister and a colleague, they founded the first hospital ran by women and that served both women and children. The other first woman to graduate from law school, Arabella Mansfield, was also admitted to practice law in Iowa in 1869 making her the first female lawyer. Other women followed on achievements such as Victoria Claflin Woodhull who became the first female presidential candidate in the United States; Susanna Medora Salter who became the first woman to be elected mayor of an American town in Kansas, and Jeannette Rankin who became the first woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Women were also granted the rights to own property in their names, to earn equal pay for equal work done, and in the state of Wyoming, the women were allowed to vote. Louisa Ann Swain became the first woman to vote in general elections in Wyoming. By 1920, the nineteenth amendment in the constitution had been ratified, and women had a right to vote.

Healthwise, apart from Elizabeth Blackwell found the first hospital to be run by a woman; Margaret Sanger opened a birth control clinic in Brooklyn. She also won a lawsuit that permitted doctors to advise married couples about birth control and its health benefits. Nursing emerged as a field fit for the female populations who took up the opportunities and worked just fine. The other feminist development in the field of medicine is the legalisation of abortion. In 1973, the Supreme Court ruled that abortion laws overlooked invasion of privacy if abortion was considered unlawful especially in the first trimester and limited the law to the second and third trimester. Nevertheless, exceptions were made in the second and third trimester in the cases where abortion is done to protect the life of the mother. The matter has been controversial, however, to date.

Feminism furthermore flourished in the 1970s where women for the right to be heard concerning domestic violence and rape CITATION Cha18 l 1033 (Bunch, 2018). In the early years, the law did not pay attention to domestic violence and battery as much as it affected women in all dimensions. Domestic violence laws were adopted to help those women who became victims of rape and battery. Later on, in the 1990s to the present age, a lot of young women joined in feminism to reiterate on the previous activities of early feminism in ensuring equality across genders. Emphasis on protection on women from cultural practices such as female genital mutilation has been spearheaded too with the united states providing asylum to the affected females from all over the world.

Women have also been active in politics and participation in the military which was once considered as a man’s field. Women are allowed to run for various offices in the present day America including the presidential seat. Hillary Clinton was nominated for the president of the United States under the Democratic Party even thou she lost to Donald Trump in 2016. America women have been able to serve in wars Iraq and Afghanistan wars under the United States military.

Women have also fought for acceptance in term of sexuality. Different women exhibit different sexual lifestyles, and with the feminism wave, the American has been able to fight for same-sex relationships which were considered immoral and unlawful. A person should be able to choose what they feel is right for them without facing stigmatisation and discrimination in society. In 2004, the first same-sex couple was legally married in the United States under the guidelines of the San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom who allowed the issuance of marriage license to same-sex couples. The marriage was later nullified, but the couple got married again in 2008 before the same-sex marriages were illegalised again then finally got legalised in 2013 by the California Supreme Court. After the legalisation, the marriage between Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, who are the first same-sex couple to get married, was considered legitimate.

In Ghana, women have come a long way. The roles of women in the society have evolved, but as much the constitution gives the women equal rights as men, political participation, education, health, and employment for women is still below the average. Representation of women in the parliament and political forums still needs a lot of work. As much as the constitution provides for the participation of women, there is a nil representation of women in the parliament. There is still an imbalance in the roles of both genders. Males are more successful than females who do not almost access resources in the country. Nevertheless, the fight for equality still goes on.

Women in Ghana have faced gender discrimination and oppression which have led the fight for the rights of women. A lot of women in Ghana are a subject to cultural norms that merely hurt women such as female genital mutilation. The practice is common especially in northern Ghana where females undergo the initiation process either at birth, at puberty or even after death. However, laws have been put in place to eradicate the practice. Women have actively participated in fighting for the end of female genital mutilation which is considered as an old norm that can harm young women.

Also, women in Ghana have been victims of traffic and rape. Young women in Ghana are trafficked for sex trade which is against the rights of women and humanity at large. The government of Ghana is, however, trying to counteract the act of trafficking through the Human Trafficking Act of 2005. Apart from trafficking, a good number of women in Ghana are victims of domestic violence and rape. Young women and children face rape and sexual assault which goes unreported due to fear of stigmatisation. This is a violation of human and women’s rights under the criminal code. Also, married women face assault from their husbands who consider themselves superior to their wives and are free to manipulate them at any point as stipulated by the culture. The criminal laws of Ghana overlook the matter as an invasion of privacy at the expense of women.

Cultural beliefs and norms contribute as well to undermining of women through domestic violence CITATION Syl12 l 1033 (Bawa, 2012). The culture requires the woman to housekeep and bear children. A woman’s place is in the kitchen rather than fighting for their dreams like their male counterparts who are entitled to pursuing their dreams by the culture. The culture puts the woman under a man who she answers to and pledges loyalty to. Most women in Ghana live in slums since the economic value of the state is generally low. Another factor that leads to high domestic violence in Ghana is polygamy CITATION Car17 l 1033 (Nave, 2017). Polygamy creates more problems in households. The government of Ghana is however involved in combating domestic violence through Domestic Violence Act. In the history of the people of Ghana as well, young girls were offered as concubines to the clergymen as a payment for sins committed in the past. The act of offering girls is an act of violence against women and should be omitted.

Employment in Ghana segregates women as well. Since the women barely go to school, they end missing on opportunities which are readily available for the learned male counterparts. The cultural norms stipulate that women are supposed to learn the basics which include taking care of a family and raising babies. Lack of education leaves the women at a losing end. Most populations do not make it through school and thus cannot pitch for the same jobs as their male counterparts who are more exposed and learned. The women are left to raise families, farm, and sell the farm produce to make a living. With the help of the UN though, in the present day, Ghana girls can access education more than before even though the ratio to the boys is still unequal.

The other issue facing women as well is healthcare. Due to poverty levels, women lack the right medical attention especially those from poor neighbourhoods. There is also a high birthrate among young women a scenario which could be curbed by birth control clinics. It is also attributed to lack of education and exposure of the girls who follow the cultural norms. Maternal mortality is the other health factor facing women due to cheap abortions. Abortion is legal in some cases but due to poverty women opt for unsafe abortions which end up claiming their lives in most scenarios.

Few of Ghanaian women are elected to parliamentary seats and another office such as judiciary which is attributed to deep cultural values of the people of Ghana. However, there are ministries in the government dedicated just for women to ensure equal gender participation in the running of the government as stipulated by the constitution of Ghana. There are also several women rights groups and welfare association which aim at empowering women towards fighting for their rights and inclusivity in social developments.

Some feminists have however emerged in Ghana overtime to fight for women representation and equality in the society. The women are also focused on fighting for better reproductive health care. Women in Ghana are still facing a lot of issues especially the issues related to gender inequality and violence.

As discussed above, both the American women and Ghanaian women face some common problems which deprive them of their rights. Examples of common problems include gender inequality, domestic violence and rape, and health care. Certain cultural beliefs and norms tie women to homesteads tending to children and housekeeping rather than pursuing their dreams like the males. In America, the women are regarded as housewives while the males can go to school and later on get employed which is the same case in Ghana. The men are regarded as the breadwinners while women are child bearers and housekeepers.

In both America and Ghana as well, feminist have been instrumental in fighting for the rights of women across the country. Even though the level of aggressiveness differs, they still work for the same goal. Feminists in Ghana are now upcoming while in America feminism is a lifestyle, and the results have already been manifested. American women have been through most of their fight unlike in Ghana where the fight just began. In America, the rights have been established just like the case in Ghana whereby the government has done the most. However, in Ghana nothing is in practice; for instance, as much as the constitution provides for gender equality in politics, the women representation in parliament is still low in Ghana.

Nonetheless, in Ghana, the fight does not touch on sexuality unlike in American where women have fought for acceptance of same-sex marriage. Ghana is faced with issues of trafficking and offering of young women for sexual rituals. Women in Ghana face assault through such unlike in America where same-sex couples face violence. The American women have been able to fight for the right of marrying from same-sex successfully, however.

Also, in Ghana women still face unemployment and poor wages due to lack of education which keeps them below the bar and thus cannot pitch for the same jobs as the males. In America, most women can access education just like any other males but may not get a good job due to gender discrimination. Women are also likely to get low wages and face sexual assaults and harassment at work especially in the male-dominated domains. Most women in Ghana are still a subject to cultural norms, unlike American women who are sophisticated. Female genital mutilation still affects women Ghana alongside other violence against women such as domestic violence due to polygamy.

In summary, both American and Ghanaian women have been through problems that lead to undermining of their rights as women. The governments of both countries have played a role in delivering human rights as the feminists are fighting for. However, American women are more steps ahead of Ghanaian women in the fight for representation and recognition in society. The Ghanian woman is still in disguise behind the cultural norms and beliefs while the American woman liberated herself. The major problem still faced by women in American is gender inequality whereas in Ghana it still ranges from illiteracy to cultural bondage. For Ghana, there is still a long way to go towards liberating women in society and empowering them to fight for their position in society.

References

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Bunch, C. (2018). Transforming Human Rights from a Feminist Perspective. Women’s Rights, Human Rights.

Frederiksen, M. (2017, March 10). Women before, during and after the Russian Revolution. Retrieved from https://www.bolshevik.info/women-before-during-and-after-the-russian-revolution.htm

Nave, C. (2017). Marriage in Kumasi, Ghana: Locally Emergent Practices in the Colonial/Modern Gender System. Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy, 557-573.

Tobias, S. (2018). Faces Of Feminism. New York: Routledge.