Women's Rights: Documents Decoded

by Aimee D. Shouse

Overview

Taking a broad view of the ongoing efforts to attain rights for women, this work provides unique insight into the context of the issues and reveals the range of factors that can influence a particular policy decision.

What constitutes "women's rights" depends on whom you ask—or who is in political office at the time. Understandably, women's rights have changed across time as perceptions of women and their roles have changed. What remains consistent regardless of the historic era is that rights assumed by men often must be specifically granted to women. This book presents an overview of women's rights that also addresses specific policy decisions. Within each policy entry, the author explains the factors that can influence a particular policy decision, such as the current American political culture, prevailing views of women as mothers and caretakers, perceptions of female/male relationships, systemic governmental influences, and conflicting opinions over the role of government in decisions related specifically to women's lives. The book's conclusion examines current issues, encouraging students to consider whether or not these rights will continue to evolve along with U.S. society and women's roles in it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781610691994
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	12/12/2013
Series:	Documents Decoded
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Aimee D. Shouse, PhD, is a professor and department chair in the Department of Women's Studies at Western Illinois University.

Table of Contents

Preface,
Introduction,
CHAPTER 1: WOMEN AND WORK,
The U.S. Supreme Court Limits Women's Employment Rights,
Supreme Court Ruling in Muller v. Oregon 1908
Women's Rights Advocates Lobby for a Women's Bureau,
Testimony from the Women's Bureau Hearings before the Joint Committees on Labor March 4, 1920
Kennedy Signs the Equal Pay Act,
President John F. Kennedy's Remarks upon Signing the Equal Pay Act June 10, 1963
Congress Debates Sex Discrimination Provisions in the Civil Rights Act,
Statements Supporting and Opposing an Amendment to Prohibit Sexual Discrimination in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 February 8, 1964
Johnson and Nondiscrimination in Government Employment,
Text of President Lyndon B. Johnson's Executive Order 11246 September 24, 1965
Johnson Bans Sex Discrimination in Federal Hiring Policies,
Text of President Lyndon B. Johnson's Executive Order 11375 October 13, 1967
The U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down Gender-Based Fetal Protection Policies,
Supreme Court Ruling in United Automobile Workers v. Johnson Controls 1991
Anita Hill Testifies against Clarence Thomas,
Testimony at Senate Hearings for Supreme Court Nominee Clarence Thomas October 11, 1991
Clinton Signs the Family and Medical Leave Act,
President Bill Clinton's Remarks upon Signing the Family and Medical Leave Act February 5, 1993
CHAPTER 2: WOMEN AND EDUCATION
The U.S. Supreme Court Sanctions Sex Discrimination in American Society,
Justice Joseph P. Bradley's Concurrent Opinion in Bradwell v. State of Illinois 1872
A Scholar Studies the Impact of Higher Education on Women,
John Dewey's "Education and the Health of Women" 1885
A Congresswoman's Statement on Sex Discrimination in Colleges and Universities,
Representative Edith Green's Statement at House "Discrimination against Women" Subcommittee Hearings June 17, 1970
The U.S. Supreme Court Clarifies the Reach of Title IX,
Supreme Court Ruling in Grove City College v. Bell 1984
The U.S. Supreme Court Opens VMI to Women,
Supreme Court Ruling in United States v. Virginia et al. 1996
A Circuit Court Rules on Proportionality in Intercollegiate Sports,
Ninth Circuit Court Ruling in Neal v. Board of Trustees of California State Universities 1999
CHAPTER 3: WOMEN AND POLITICS
Early Activists Issue a Call for Women's Rights,
Seneca Falls Convention "Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions" July 19–20, 1848
Women's Rights Leaders Champion Universal Voting Rights,
Proceedings of the First Anniversary of the American Equal Rights Association May 9–10, 1867
A Congresswoman Expresses Support for a Federal Suffrage Amendment,
Statement of Representative Jeannette Rankin May 19, 1917
Gloria Steinem Speaks Out for an Equal Rights Amendment,
Hearings before a Senate Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments May 6, 1970
The U.S. Supreme Court Ends Gender-Based Exemptions for Jury Duty,
Supreme Court Ruling in Taylor v. Louisiana 1975
Nomination of Sandra Day O'Connor to the U.S. Supreme Court,
Testimony at Confirmation Hearing before the U.S. Senate's Committee on the Judiciary September 9–11, 1981
"Honoring Geraldine Ferraro"
Statements of Representatives Carolyn Maloney and Carolyn McCarthy April 5, 2011
CHAPTER 4: WOMEN'S HEALTH AND REPRODUCTION
Margaret Sanger Testifies on Birth Control,
Statement from U.S. Senate Subcommittee Hearings on Birth Control Legislation May 1932
A Congressman Urges Action to Protect the Health of Women and Children,
Statement of Horace M. Towner at "Public Protection of Maternity and Infancy" Hearings December 1920
The U.S. Supreme Court Expands Contraceptive Rights on Privacy Grounds,
Supreme Court Ruling in Griswold v. Connecticut 1965
The U.S. Supreme Court Legalizes Abortion,
Supreme Court Ruling in Roe v. Wade 1973
Congressman Hyde Calls for an End to Federal Funding for Abortions,
Statement of U.S. Representative Henry Hyde on the Hyde Amendment June 24, 1976
The U.S. Supreme Court Upholds State Restrictions on Abortion Services,
Supreme Court Ruling in Webster v. Reproductive Health Services 1989
The U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Additional State-Level Abortion Restrictions,
Supreme Court Ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey 1992
Debating the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003,
Statements of Representatives Steve Chabot and Jerrold Nadler March 25, 2003
A Breast Cancer Survivor Urges Increased Investment in Early Detection Programs,
Actress Jill Eikenberry's Statement at "Why Are We Losing the War on Breast Cancer?" Senate Hearings June 20, 1991
CHAPTER 5: WOMEN AND VIOLENCE
A New York Appeals Court Strikes Down a Marital Exemption for Rape,
New York Court of Appeals Ruling in People v. Liberta 1984
Senator Biden Urges Passage of the Violence Against Women Act,
Senator Joseph Biden's Statement to the House Subcommittee on Crime and Criminal Justice February 6, 1992
Bipartisan Support for the Drug-Induced Rape Prevention and Punishment Act,
Statements of Representatives Bill McCollum, Charles Schumer, and Sheila Jackson Lee September 25, 1996
Congress Passes the Trafficking Victims Protection Act,
Excerpts from Conference Report Testimony of Senators Sam Brownback and Paul Wellstone October 11, 2000
Proposed Legislation to Address the Economic Impact of Domestic Violence,
Statements of Senators Patty Murray and Johnny Isakson at "Too Much Too Long?" Senate Hearings April 17, 2007
CHAPTER 6: WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Critical Assessments of the Supreme Court's Ledbetter v. Goodyear Decision,
Statements of Representative George Miller and Lilly Ledbetter at "Justice Denied?" House Hearings June 12, 2007
Obama Endorses the Paycheck Fairness Act,
President Barack Obama's Remarks on Wage Equality June 4, 2012
The White House Urges Passage of Equal Pay Legislation,
White House Fact Sheet on the Paycheck Fairness Act June 4, 2012
Obama Criticizes Senate Republicans for Filibustering the Paycheck Fairness Act,
President Barack Obama's Statement on Senate Action on Paycheck Fairness Legislation June 5, 2012
The National Science Foundation Revises Its Workplace Flexibility Policies,
White House Press Release September 26, 2011
Tributes to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,
Statements of Senators Tom Harkin and Bill Nelson January 29, 2013
Debating Contraceptive Coverage in the Affordable Care Act,
Remarks of Representatives Darrell Issa and Carolyn Maloney at Hearings of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform February 16, 2012
A Mississippi Ballot Initiative to Change the Definition of Personhood,
Voters' Guide to Arguments for and against Mississippi's Initiative No. 26 Summer 2011
Senator Leahy Urges Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act,
Statements of Senator Pat Leahy May 16 and December 20, 2012
Conclusion,
Chronology,
Glossary,
Bibliography,
Index,
About the Author,

Editorial Reviews

This volume is broad in scope and includes information on the progress women have made and on the challenges that still exist. The format and the content are very suitable for students without much prior knowledge. . . . Recommended.” —Choice

“[A] good collection of primary sources . . . recommended for high school and public libraries.” —Booklist

“A solid starting point for anyone researching women's rights history, this title will make a worthwhile addition to reference collections at high school, public, and junior college libraries.” —Library Jourbanal

“Taking a broad view of the ongoing efforts to attain rights for women, this work provides unique insight into the context of the issues and reveals the range of factors that can influence a particular policy decision. . . . This work will provide students with a deeper understanding of the evolution of women's rights in this country and what work still needs to be done to ensure equity among for all people. This will be a particularly useful book in high school libraries and undergraduate libraries.” —ARBA

From the Publisher