Women's Equality

Born into slavery before escaping to freedom in 1826, Sojourner Truth was a staunch abolitionist and supporter of women's equality. This poster features a quote from her 1867 address to the first annual meeting of the Equal Rights Association. Her remarks highlighted the continued disparity between men and women, and the ongoing need to fight for equal rights.

In the 1910s, many Americans joined the already decades-long fight for women's suffrage, or equal voting rights. To rally support, suffragists staged parades. These often-elaborate processions championed numerous individual causes. This float in New Haven, Connecticut, related "equal education for boys and girls" to "equal citizenship" in the future.

In 1960, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first oral contraceptive. The "Pill," as it was called, allowed women to gain control of their reproductive system, and in turn their lives. It made family planning more predictable and helped launch the sexual revolution of the 1960s.

The National Organization for Women (NOW) was founded in 1966, noting that the time had come for “fully equal partnership of the sexes, as part of the world-wide revolution of human rights now taking place.” NOW advocated for fair hiring and employment practices, and campaigned for the passage of the ERA. The organization also grew increasingly invested in intersectional feminism, championing the causes of women of color and the LGBTQ+ community.

Women had finally won the right to vote by 1919. But they still lacked equal rights with men. For many women in 1970 this poster featuring the female symbol and raised fist conveyed their frustration with inequality.

This book is a directory of grassroots resources for women in the 1970s: female-owned bookstores, collectives, women's health, birth control, pay equity, self-defense, crisis support, and single parenting. Resources like this one were created by women, for women, addressing the specific challenges they faced.

The Supreme Court’s decision in the 1973 case Roe v. Wade was a seismic moment in the country’s politics. The Court ruled that abortion was a protected right, overruling state abortion laws. For some, it was a victory that protected a woman’s right to choice in reproductive healthcare. For others, it was an affront to morality. The decision stood until 2022, when it was overturned in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

In the 1970s, women's rights activists rallied against legal inequalities in the workplace, divorce and property rights, and many other areas. This button promoted equality in marriage law.

Childcare was also a major concern for women’s equality. Although childcare had typically been seen as women’s work, in the 1970s, more women pushed for other options – like childcare centers – so that they would be able to work outside the home.

The fight for equality was even more difficult for Black women, who had to deal with both sexism and racism. They were often sidelined and forced to form their own coalitions to fight for their own causes. In the 1970s, Black women and their allies began imagining a more inclusive form of feminism -- one that acknowledged the additional challenges faced by women from marginalized communities.

During the 1960s and 1970s, more women entered the workforce. For many, though, their arrival in previously male-dominated spaces was met with incidents of sexual harassment – a term first used in 1975 by Dr. Lin Farley to put a name to the problem. Women would continue to fight for not just positions, but respect and safety in the workplace.

On January 21, 2017, over three million women of all ages and walks of life took to the streets in solidarity for what turned out to be the largest single-day demonstration in U.S. history. Originally organized to protest the inauguration of Donald Trump as president after what many considered to be offensive, misogynistic comments, the Women’s March turned into a worldwide protest touching on many interconnected human rights issues.

Gender-based violence is a concern for all women, but especially those historically marginalized. Indigenous women currently face violence on an epidemic level. The National Crime Information Center reports that in 2016, there were 5,712 reports of missing American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls. As of 2018, the Centers for Disease Control lists murder as the third leading cause of death for American Indian and Alaska Native women.