“Food dumped directly into stomach feels like a ball of lead,” said Lucy Burns, who led the imprisoned women. Firing women because they are pregnant, or treating pregnant workers worse than other workers who are also temporarily unable to perform some aspects of a job, has been illegal since 1978, when Congress enacted the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. In a strategic move with far-reaching consequences, she and other white voting rights activists opted to cultivate the support of southern white women—and to diminish the role of Black women. Women wondered whether that solution would include them. The push for women’s suffrage began in 1848 in part because Stanton, a socially active woman from a prosperous and prominent family, was chafing at her circumscribed life. Over tea with Mott and a few friends, Stanton “poured out the torrent of my long-accumulating discontent,” she wrote, “with such vehemence and indignation that I stirred myself, as well as the rest of the party, to do and dare anything.”. Recent elections have led to the highest level of female representation in Congress in U.S. history—24 percent. Mott feared that pursuing the vote would “make us ridiculous.” Politics were considered excessively corrupt for women and perhaps, for some, a step too far out of the domestic domain. They wanted grounds for a lawsuit. EMILY’s List bundled donations together to throw behind candidates. Wells had faced off against lynch mobs in Tennessee and founded the first African-American women’s suffrage group in Chicago. But Anthony, a well-known and intimidating figure, couldn’t help herself. But when she arrived in Washington for the parade, she was told she would not be marching with the Illinois delegation. Tackling these issues as well also helps to tackle women’s rights issues. PANEL: Del. The longest serving female lawmaker won 10 congressional elections. It presents news and views that are rarely, if ever, available elsewhere on television. It's no secret we live in divisive times, but we’re most interested in how we move forward as a country and discovering the best ideas that will define our collective future. Two weeks later, the opportunity she’d been aiming for arrived on her doorstep in the form of a well-mannered federal officer. © 2020 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. And, tackling gender issues helps tackle poverty-related issues. Some 27 million women became eligible to vote, the largest increase in potential voters in American history. They were united in their wish to be treated as full citizens of the United States. According to Democratic state senator Nicole Cannizzaro, that wasn’t the intention. It marks 100 years since U.S. women won the right to vote, 25 years since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 10 years since UN Women was established and 5 years since the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted. Shondaland participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. The women drafted a “Declaration of Sentiments” to be presented to the convention for approval. Our research shows black girls continue to face disproportionate school suspensions and expulsions compared to their white peers, Latina students across the country are facing mental health crises, and Title IX protections for student survivors of sexual violence are constantly under attack. But many states were reluctant to cede their authority over who could vote. Ever since, a larger share of women than men have voted—. Nine subsequent resolutions have been passed. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action is a declaration aimed at achieving greater equality and opportunity for women, which was unanimously adopted by 189 countries at the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing, China, in 1995.