Case Summary
Are ideas such as human rights and human security truly universal? How do they impact our understandings of conflict and war OR of cooperation and development?
Human rights have not always been universal in terms of countries having equal rights for their citizens, but human rights have progressed in monumental ways over the past 100 years.
In this case summary, I will be explaining the background of the movement of Women’s Rights, and how these rights have changed over the years. Focusing particularly on the 2017 Women’s March on Washington.
Background
Women’s rights in America at one point were so severe that male slaves actually had more rights in a sense. Author Debran Rowland in her book, ‘The Boundaries of Her Body’, explains how women and slaves were treated nearly the same in terms of the Constitution: “Though slaves had no rights in early America, the fact that they were mentioned, even as “three fifths” men for purposes of taxation, offers a point of comparison for women. Like slaves, rights for women were never expressly enumerated in the original articles of the Constitution. Unlike slaves, absent was any “measure” of women.” (Rowland, D., 2017)
As years went on, women found themselves on the global stage and representing one of the largest economies in the world as well as one of the most power countries. Every president since the founding of America has been male. This may not come as a shock to some people, but it is interesting to realise that many other countries have had a female leader including the likes of Germany, the United Kingdom, South Korea, to only name a few.
Women’s rights have never been simple across the globe. At least 200 million women and girls who are alive today have gone under some form of genital mutilation, according to UN women. (UN Women. 2017.)
So why hasn’t the United States of America, a country which prides itself in being a leader In the modern era, elected a female president?
The closest a woman has got to the presidency was in 2007, when Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi of California, assumed the office of Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. (Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi. 2017.) This meant that Ms. Pelosi was 2nd in the presidential line of succession. In her succession speech, Ms Pelosi stated the following: “It is an historic moment for the Congress, and an historic moment for the women of this country. It is a moment for which we have waited over 200 years. Never losing faith, we waited through the many years of struggle to achieve our rights. But women weren't just waiting; women were working.” (SFGate. 2017.)
On July 28th, 2016, Hillary Clinton formally accepted the nomination for President of the United State from the Democratic Party. This was historic for the U.S., Ms. Clinton, who was the former First Lady of the United States, as well as a Senator for New York and the U.S Secretary of State, became the first female presidential nominee of a major part in the United States. (BBC News. 2017.)
November 8th, 2016. Donald Trump wins the presidency in a shock upset over Secretary Clinton. This sends shockwaves across the globe due to Mr Trump’s conservative stances as well as sexist remarks in the past and during the campaign itself. Even referring to his rival as a ‘Nasty Woman’ during the 2nd presidential debate. (The Guardian. 2017.)
Due to this, women across the America and even the globe, came together and declared that they would march in protest of the Trump presidency as well to advocate the policies regarding the treatment of women and also the likes of LGBT rights, reproductive rights, racial equality and healthcare reform. (Women's March. 2017.)
Brief Timeline
On November 8th, 2016, a retiree in Hawaii named ‘Teresa Shook’, took to Facebook to condemn the election results and posted in a group named ‘Pantsuit Nation’, which supported Hillary Clinton, she writes ‘I think we should march.” The next day, over 10,000 women agreed with Teresa. (ELLE. 2017.) November 20th, 2016. The organizers of the march announced the four co-chairs who would be the representation for the march across social media and in the news. The four co-chairs included Bob Bland, who is the co-founder, Tamika Malloy, Carmen Perez and Linda Sasour. (ELLE. 2017.) On December 15th, 2016, the Associated Press reports that police have given the go ahead for the march in Washington and that they suspect around 200,000 people gathering for the event on January 21st, the day after Trumps presidential inauguration. (Washington Post. 2017.) January 9th, 2017. The march announces many celebrities who will participating across America and also across the globe, this increases the coverage of the march even more so and it gets more attention on social media. (BBC News. 2017.) January 21st, 2017. The march officially takes place. At first, there was an estimate of 200,000 attending in Washington, but an estimated 500,000 turn out to march in the nation’s capital, and over 1 million in total in the United States. Including 150,000 in Chicago, the capital of the state of Illinois, also the home state of outgoing President Barack Obama and birthplace of Hillary Clinton. (Washington Post. 2017.)
Major Actors Involved
The main actors involved with the march include Hillary Clinton, the former First Lady of the U.S. as well as a former Senator from New York and Secretary of State, whose defeat in the election inspired the march. (Salon.com. 2017) Linda Sasour, Bob Bland, Tamika D. Mallory and Carmen Perez, who were all co-chairs for the march. (The Guardian. 2017.) Planned Parenthood, (Women’s March. 2017.) which is a non-profit organisation that provides health care, mainly reproductive, to the United States, was an actor in the march. They formally supported the march due to the fact President Trump threatened to repeal their funding if he became President. (Youtube. 2017).
Summary
The 2017 Women’s March, as well as Women’s Rights in general, are important to the study of world politics. It shows that even in the modern era, there is still global issues, not only in 3rd world countries, but also some of the most powerful countries. It asks the question, why is this still happening? And what can we do to further discover how to put an end to these issues. The Women’s March also highlights the fact that citizens are becoming more politically aware and that they will make their voices heard for what they believe is right.
References
UN Women. 2017. Facts and figures: Ending violence against women | UN Women – Headquarters. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/facts-and-figures. [Accessed 13 October 2017].
(Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi. 2017. Biography | Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi. [ONLINE] Available at: https://pelosi.house.gov/biography/biography. [Accessed 13 October 2017].
SFGate. 2017. Text of Nancy Pelosi's speech – SFGate. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Text-of-Nancy-Pelosi-s-speech-2625996.php. [Accessed 13 October 2017].
The Guardian. 2017. Trump calls Clinton a 'nasty woman' during final debate – video | US news | The Guardian. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2016/oct/20/donald-trump-calls-hillary-clinton-a-nasty-woman-during-final-debate-video. [Accessed 13 October 2017].
Women's March. 2017. Our Mission — Women's March. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.womensmarch.com/mission. [Accessed 13 October 2017].)
(ELLE. 2017. The Women's March on Washington – How It Came Together and What You Need to Know. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.elle.com/culture/news/a42067/womens-march-on-washington-timeline-logistics/. [Accessed 13 October 2017].)
(Washington Post. 2017. Women’s March on Washington officially has a permit for Jan. 21 – The Washington Post. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2016/12/15/the-womens-march-on-washington-officially-has-a-permit-for-jan-21/?utm_term=.05db5074cafc. [Accessed 13 October 2017].)
(Rowland, D., 2017. The Boundaries of Her Body. SphinxLegal. p. 25)
BBC News. 2017. Hillary Clinton 'secures Democratic nomination' – AP – BBC News. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-36466228. [Accessed 17 October 2017].
Hollywood women will march on Washington after Donald Trump's inauguration – BBC Newsbeat. 2017. Hollywood women will march on Washington after Donald Trump's inauguration – BBC Newsbeat. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/38566513/hollywood-women-will-march-on-washington-after-donald-trumps-inauguration. [Accessed 17 October 2017].
Washington Post. 2017. Women’s marches: More than one million protesters vow to resist President Trump – The Washington Post. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/womens-march-on-washington-a-sea-of-pink-hatted-protesters-vow-to-resist-donald-trump/2017/01/21/ae4def62-dfdf-11e6-acdf-14da832ae861_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-bignews2_banner-hed%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.a64aee206fcb. [Accessed 17 October 2017].
March on Washington and beyond: How women are resisting Donald Trump – Salon.com. 2017. March on Washington and beyond: How women are resisting Donald Trump – Salon.com. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.salon.com/2017/01/02/march-on-washington-and-beyond-how-women-are-resisting-donald-trump_partner. [Accessed 17 October 2017].
The Guardian. 2017. Women's March on Washington: a guide to the post-inaugural social justice event | World news | The Guardian. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/27/womens-march-on-washington-dc-guide. [Accessed 17 October 2017].
Women's March. 2017. Partners & Sponsors — Women's March. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.womensmarch.com/partners. [Accessed 17 October 2017].
YouTube. 2017. Full Republican Primary Debate 2016 Texas – YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUPTeSqCzYQ. [Accessed 17 October 2017].