Did you know that Women's Equality Day is celebrated on August 26th in the US?
The date honours the passage of the 19th amendment to the Constitution in the USA that gives women the right to vote. It was all thanks to this act that the American federal government and states could no longer prevent the people from the right to vote based on their gender.
How it all led to August 26 1920
It all began from a movement for women’s rights on a national scale in 1848. The movement was organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott with the Seneca Falls Convention.
Around 300 people attended the convention; mostly women and men. Not only did they propagate that women should have better educational and employment chances, the delegates at the convention also believed that American women deserved their own political voices.
After the convention, more and more women’s rights movements started to focus on voting rights which resulted in some pros and cons. The pros were that the issue of women’s voting rights started to gain more traction among the people that even the black women joined them eventually. The cons were that these women’s rights movements were mocked by the media then.
However, after years of struggle, the 19th amendment, which granted women the rights to vote was certified by the US Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby on August 26 1920. Although the amendment was part of the US Constitution in 1920, Women's Equality Day was first celebrated in 1973.
However, for the women in Malaysia, it's an entirely different tale.
The Malaysian context
When the Federation of Malaya had their first elections in 1955, all citizens had equal voting rights, regardless of gender, ethnicity and religion. Women had a right to vote since then, as long as they fulfill the requirements of a voter.
How is Women’s Equality Day celebrated?
There are a few ways to celebrate Women’s Equality Day. Taking the time to pay a tribute to the women who fought for women’s rights is one way to go. Most people look up these crucial figures across the globe to educate themselves and share it with people around them.
You could also learn about female leaders who made and are making history. You could go from the ladies who started the movement at Seneca Falls Convention like Elizabeth Stanton and Lucretia Mott up to our very own Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz who encouraged Malaysian women to step up as entrepreneurs.
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