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Women Rights The term women's rights The term women's rights refers to freedoms and entitlements of women and girls of all ages. 19th Century restrictions in the U.S. 1. Unable to vote. 2. Single --> could own her own property. 3. Married --> no control over her property or her children. 4. Could not initiate divorce. 5. Couldn’t make wills, sign a contract, or bring suit in court without her husband’s permission. The Middle Ages According to English Common Law, which developed from the 12th Century onward all property which a wife held at the time of a marriage became a possession of her husband. Eventually English courts forbid a husband's transferring property without the consent of his wife, but he still retained the right to manage it and to receive the money which it produced. The Enlightenment In the late 18th Century the question of women's rights became central to political debates in both France and Britain. "French married women suffered from restrictions on their legal capacity which were removed only in 1965." Suffrage - the right to vote During the 19th Century the right to vote was gradually extended in many countries and women started to campaign for their right to vote. In 1893 New Zealand became the first country to give women the right to vote on a national level. Australia gave women the right to vote in 1902, while the USA, Britain and Canada gave women the vote after the First World War. Modern movement In the subsequent decades women's rights again became an important issue in the English speaking world. By the 1960s the movement was called "feminism" or "women's liberation." Reformers wanted the same pay as men, equal rights in law, and the freedom to plan their families or not have children at all. Their efforts were met with mixed results. In the UK, a public groundswell of opinion in favour of legal equality had gained pace, partly through the extensive employment of women in what were traditional male roles during both world wars. Working Women Over the course of the 20th century women took on greater roles in society such as serving in government. In the United States some served as U.S. Senators and others as members of the U.S. Cabinet. Many women took advantage of opportunities in higher education. In the United States at the beginning of the 20th century less than 20% of all college degrees were earned by women. By the end of the century this figure had risen to about 50%. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women The Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted in 1948, enshrines "the equal rights of men and women", and addressed both the equality and equity issues. In 1979 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW ) School House Rock - Suffrage https://www.youtub e.com/watch?v=Kj afumP1dbU