A CLEAR TREND (to be continued)

A CLEAR TREND         BEGAN:  MAY 22, 1999

One precursor to the women's movement was Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902).  She was a central figure in the struggle for equal rights for American women.  She organized the first women's rights convention in the summer of 1848.  It was a small but important step towards legal equal rights for women.  She began her speech with a humorous dismissal of the fear that women would want to start dressing in a less feminine manner.  Then she focused quickly on the illogical categorization of women as less than full citizens.

Another forerunner to the movement was Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906).  She was a prominent figure in the struggle to legalize women's right to vote in the United States.  She traveled the Nation to promote women's right to vote.

Some questions we can consider at this point are:

1)  What woman do you admire and why?

2)  What is your opinion about the position of modern- day women, (especially in the workforce and politics, and also regarding care of children)?

3)  How do modern-day women relate to men and vice versa?

     What about women's conditions in different parts of the World?

4)  What is the difference between today’s women and women from the last Century?

Women first voted in New Zealand in 1893.  In Argentina the law of suffrage was passed in 1947 and they first voted in 1951.  They still can't vote in Kuwait and Arabia.

In this Century, one of the first woman to occupy an important place in politics was Isabel II, Queen of England.  She was in the throne for more than 44 years.  The queen still has many duties and is well respected.

Indira Gandhi was prime minister in India two times:

                 between 1966 and 1977

                 and 1980 to 1984 when she was assassinated.

Golda Meir was Prime Minister of Israel between 1969 and 1974 and has a long history of politics in Israel.  She was a grandmother, worked hard and had no live-in servants.  She helped to secure funds from other countries to form Israel.

Meanwhile, Margaret Thatcher was a leader in Great Britain between 1979 and 1990.  She was known as the "Woman of Steel".  She was known for her efforts to conduct the destinies of a European country.

Argentina was the first modern country to have a woman President, Maria Estela (Isabel) Martinez de Peron, between 1974 and 1967 when she was ousted by a military coup.

Benazir Bhutto was prime minister in Pakistan in 1982 which was quite a feat in a country of great religious and cultural masculine domination.

President Corazon Aquino was the first woman President in Asia in the Filipine Islands.  Kim Cambell was Prime Minister in Canada from 1993-1996.

An important figure was Madeline Korbel Albright, Secretary of State in the United States since January, 1997.  She was a first in the history of the U.S. Diplomats once nicknamed her "half bright".  She was born in 1937 in ex Checoslavaquia.  When she was young her family escaped from the Nazis and she is a long time friend of Hillary Clinton which is how Bill Clinton discovered her.  She often wore pins or brooches adequate to a particular situation being dealt with.  For example, the Lebanese once were calling her a witch and she wore a broom pin. 

There is a clear trend:  More women in power.  What does this mean and how does it affect politics and life in general?  According to Jane de Hart, a specialist in the subject, “the style of women is different.  It is less authoritarian.  They tend to work more towards negotiation and concession.  They get into politics to change things - not for power”.