-JASMANN CHHATWAL (Correspondent)
Different waves of feminism have helped us alleviate the position of women in different contexts of society and are continuing to do so. The first wave of feminism in the Western world is referred to as the West’s first sustained political movement dedicated to achieving political equality for women: the suffragettes of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Often taken for granted, women have now realized that they must first gain political power (including the right to vote) to bring about a change. There is a need to prove that women have the potential to contribute just as much, if not more, than men.
Throughout different forms of legislature over time, men have been granted the right to vote. However, the first wave of feminism in the United States started with the Seneca Falls convention of 1848, that allowed women to meet and discuss “the social, civil, and religious condition and rights of women”. Although the first wave worked towards the upliftment of women in society, it wasn’t completely unprejudiced. It saw large amounts of racism. The 15th Amendment’s passage in 1870, granting black men the right to vote, exasperated white women in the United states of America. How could they be placed lower than the former slaves in the national political hierarchy? Moreover, black women were banned from some demonstrations and forced to walk behind white women in others. The wave was concluded with the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote. Although in theory all women in the United States were allowed to vote, in practice it remained difficult for black women to vote.
In Europe, the demand for political participation for women was heard during the French Revolution and the revolutions of 1848. When the revolution ended, the right to vote was no longer linked to gender, but remained linked to education and a specific tax revenue. With the emergence of the women’s suffrage movement towards the end of the 19th century, achievement of the right to vote without any restrictions gained more momentum. Most of the countries involved in the First World War such as Austria, Germany, and Poland experienced radical political changes around 1918, however other countries like Belgium and France had to wait longer.
The first phase of the women’s movement in non-Western contexts is roughly coextensive with the Western understanding of the first wave of feminism and often identified with women’s participation in the anti-colonial nationalist movements. Post colonial feminists criticise the first two waves of feminism for being Eurocentric because they did not address the issue for women of color and those who were not heterosexual or well off.
Despite all the efforts made in the past, participation of women in politics is still distorted because of the assumption of male supremacy and dominance without any critical examination. Ideal political behaviour is explained in terms of masculinity, while women are still perceived to be eternally committed to domestic roles. While sex refers to the biological differences between male and female, gender refers to the position of men and women in society. In order to truly rise above a male dominated political system, it is imperative to break these gender stereotypes in politics.
Granted countries such as India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh in the global south have had female politicians in power, but the overall number of female leaders globally is extremely low, with only thirteen female leaders in power at the moment. On the other hand, countries in the global north such as the United States of America, the Netherlands, Spain, and Italy have never had female leaders. One can observe that the countries that led freedom struggles against their colonisers in the twentieth century, have had more female representatives in their governments. Even through the independence struggle in British India, freedom fighters such as Sarojini Naidu, Kasturba Gandhi, and Kamala Nehru made considerable contributions to the freedom struggle. It is thus fair to say that the elevation of women in politics is ongoing and constantly developing.
In order to understand when the transition to democracy was complete, we must compare the transition dates to democracy with and without women’s suffrage rights. Although countries such as Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, United States of America, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Portugal transitioned to democracy with women’s suffrage between 1828 and 1926, the transition to include women’s suffrage was much later. While Australia, Canada, the United kingdom, and the United States of America made the transition between 1893 and 1931, Belgium and France made the shift between 1943 and 1966. Countries such as Switzerland and Portugal had the most delayed transition after 1971. This proves that adding the variable of women’s suffrage can have dramatic consequences on the current perceptions of democracy and democratization.
Women have had to fight for their right to participate in politics, something that was inherently provided to most of the men in society. The fight did not stop here. Women have also been fighting for eduction, sanitation, equal pay, and the right to portray their opinion and continue to fight against sexual harassment and domestic violence. We have had some success thanks to the tireless efforts of those who believe in elevating women’s roles in society and advocating their rights, but there is still a long way to go. Women around the globe are now able to vote because in the past women have fought for their right. They fought for what they believed in and what they deserved. Although the right to vote for women across the world was advocated at different time periods, the one thing they share in common is their method of vocalizing their concerns using rallies, demonstrations, and strikes. In June 2011, a few dozen women in Saudi Arabia demonstrated with their cars because Saudi Arabia was the last remaining country in the world that forbids women from driving. Finally, in 2017 the King issued a decree allowing women to drive, lifting the world’s only ban on women drivers. On April 3, 2011, approximately 3,000 women and men marched the streets of Toronto in what they called a SlutWalk because of inappropriate comments made by a Toronto police officer. Several such walks have been held globally and many have been sensitized against the issue. In April 2004, between 500,000 and 800,000 marched the National Mall in Washington in a rally for women’s reproductive rights, especially antiabortion policies. Although the rally wasn’t completely successful, it helped raise awareness and created a domino effect that led to more such protests.
Throughout history, social movements — small groups that are loosely connected but united by a shared purpose — have created transformational change. Women’s suffrage and civil rights in the United States, Indian Independence, the color revolutions in Eastern Europe, and the Arab Spring all hinged on the powerless bonding together against the powerful. While it may take time to unfold, protests always succeed in raising awareness at the least.
REFERENCES :
- Ariadne (n.d). Austrian National Library [online]. Available at : https://www.onb.ac.at/en/research/ariadne/women-use-your-vote/womens-right-to-vote-in-europe.
- Grady, Constance (2018). Vox [online]. Available at : https://www.vox.com/2018/3/20/16955588/feminism-waves-explained-first-second-third-fourth.
- TIME (2011). [online]. Available at : http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,2088114,00.html.
- Lowdens, Vivien; Marsh, David; Stoker, Gerry (2018). Theory and method in political science. Chapter 8, Red Globe Press.
