women's movement
Fight for equality
The women's movement is the broad social and political effort to secure equal rights and opportunities for women.
The term encompasses various waves of activism—from 19th-century suffrage campaigns to mid-20th-century feminism to contemporary movements addressing workplace equality, reproductive rights, and sexual harassment.
The women's movement transformed American politics.
Formal choice expression
- suffragetteMilitant women's voting advocate
- suffragistVoting rights advocate
- enfranchisementGranting citizenship rights
- ballotVoting document
Seneca Falls · franchise · petition · electorate · Susan B. Anthony · Elizabeth Cady Stanton · Sojourner Truth · declaration
Matching compensation regardless of identity
- pay equityEqual pay for equal work
- gender parityEqual treatment across sexes
- equal opportunityUnbiased chance for all
- workplace equalityFair treatment at work
fairness · anti-discrimination · equal rights · egalitarianism · inclusivity · level playing field · Title IX · pay gap
Bodily autonomy in family planning
- suffrageRight to cast ballots
- voting rightsEntitlement to elect officials
- civil rightsGuaranteed individual legal protections
- maternity leaveJob-protected time for childbirth
body autonomy · family leave · sexual harassment · domestic violence · gender discrimination · legislation · employment law · Roe v. Wade
Male-dominated social order
- sexismGender-based prejudice
- misogynyHostility toward women
- gender rolesExpected behaviors by sex
- intersectionalityInterconnected identity-based discrimination study
feminist theory · stereotypes · discrimination · gender bias · male dominance · second wave · radical feminism · liberal feminism
Public expression of disapproval
- marchRhythmic group walk
- demonstrationPublic display of opinion
- rallyGathering for a cause
- campaignOrganized effort toward goal
advocacy · grassroots · petition · boycott · lobbying · civil disobedience · community organizing · picketing
Power to act
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- independenceFreedom from external control
- self-determinationControl over one's fate
- leadershipAbility to direct others
confidence · strength · resilience · self-reliance · assertiveness · advancement · upliftment · capability
vote
Formal choice expression
- suffragetteMilitant women's voting advocate
- suffragistVoting rights advocate
- enfranchisementGranting citizenship rights
ballot · Seneca Falls · franchise · petition · electorate · Susan B. Anthony · Elizabeth Cady Stanton · Sojourner Truth · declaration · convention
equal pay
Matching compensation regardless of identity
- pay equityEqual pay for equal work
- gender parityEqual treatment across sexes
- equal opportunityUnbiased chance for all
workplace equality · fairness · anti-discrimination · equal rights · egalitarianism · inclusivity · level playing field · Title IX · pay gap · glass ceiling
reproductive rights
Bodily autonomy in family planning
- suffrageRight to cast ballots
- voting rightsEntitlement to elect officials
- civil rightsGuaranteed individual legal protections
maternity leave · body autonomy · family leave · sexual harassment · domestic violence · gender discrimination · legislation · employment law · Roe v. Wade · ERA
patriarchy
Male-dominated social order
- sexismGender-based prejudice
- misogynyHostility toward women
- gender rolesExpected behaviors by sex
intersectionality · feminist theory · stereotypes · discrimination · gender bias · male dominance · second wave · radical feminism · liberal feminism · feminist
protest
Public expression of disapproval
- marchRhythmic group walk
- demonstrationPublic display of opinion
- rallyGathering for a cause
campaign · advocacy · grassroots · petition · boycott · lobbying · civil disobedience · community organizing · picketing · sit-in
agency
Power to act
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- independenceFreedom from external control
- self-determinationControl over one's fate
leadership · confidence · strength · resilience · self-reliance · assertiveness · advancement · upliftment · capability · fortitude
- women's historyherstory, heroines, suffragettes, Susan B. Anthony, female pioneers
- activismboycotts, activists, activist, advocate, demonstrating
- Feminist Literaturefeminist fiction, female authors, feminist themes, feminist critique, Virginia Woolf
women's movementpatriarchy
Male-dominated social order
male supremacy · anti-feminism · misogyny · male chauvinism · sexism
women, movement, woman, womanhood, womanly, move, moved, mover, moves