Mary Wollstonecraft First Feminist

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, feminism is defined as the theory of the political, economic, and the social equality of the sexes. The feminist movement, also known as the Women's Liberation Movement has been an ongoing battle for the last 100 years. The history of women has been one of submission. Marriages were once arranged and women were expected to be obedient to their husbands. Women didn’t typically work outside of the home and were expected to raise children. Mary Wollstonecraft was the first feminist when she published, A Vindication of the Rights of Women in 1792 in which she advocated for the social and moral equality of sexes. In 1848, the seventy year fight for the women’s right to vote began. The Nineteenth Amendment,
They filled positions in factories or working on farms. Over three million women worked for the Red Cross and over 200,000 women served in the military. At the end of the war, women were laid off from the positions they had during the war. Women again were thrown into the life of being a housewife. In 1949, French author and philosopher, Simone de Beauvoir wrote her book, The Second Sex, which first depicts women as just another body, not an equal to men. She explained that there was a hierarchy and that through stereotyping, women were on a lower level. It also stated that women had a sense of "mystery" around them and were depicted as "other". She also went on to state that this was true in other areas, such as race, class, and religion, but was prevalent in the way men stereotyped women. It would be years later before her work would become an inspiration for the women’s liberation movement. By the late 1950’s women were becoming disgruntled with their place in society and the inability to obtain employment and achieve
It was no longer about the right to vote, but it became the battle to be recognized as a citizen and a person. By 1972, the Equal Rights Amendment had been approved by both houses of Congress and was sent to be ratified by the states. This was a big step towards women’s liberation. The National Organization for Women continued its work for women’s rights. Task forces were created in support of the right to an abortion and protection for victims of rape. New legislation, as a result of court cases supported by NOW, was presented to protect the victim in a physical assault case. One such case was that of Joanne Little, in 1975. Ms. Little was in prison on a felony breaking and entering and larceny. While in prison, she was sexual assaulted by another prisoner and, in self-defense, killed her attacker. She was acquitted of this charge which set a precedent for victims of sexual