Women, 88 th anniversary of the 19 th Amendment What s the story? On August 26th, it will be 88 years since the 19th amendment was ratified, giving women the vote. Hillary Clinton is speaking on Day 2 of the convention on the day of the 88 th anniversary So What has changed for women? What would surprise our viewers about women then and now? What s the likelihood of us one day having a woman president?
Women, did you know? The 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote was not ratified until 1920-50 years after the 15th Amendment gave all American men, regardless of race, creed or color the right to vote In Colorado, because women had been given the right to vote in 1893, ahead of the rest of the country, there were voting women delegates at both the Democratic and Republican conventions New Zealand was the first country to grant women the right to vote The average lifespan was 40 in the 1800s; suffrage leader Susan B. Anthony, an avid cyclist, lived to 86 A woman suffrage amendment was first introduced in Congress in 1878. It failed to pass but was reintroduced in every session of Congress for the next 40 years. Jeanette Rankin, R-Mont., was the first woman elected to Congress, in 1916, four years before the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote (women could already vote in Montana).
Women s suffrage, Timeline July 1848, first women's rights convention met in Seneca Falls, NY - over 100 people attended 1870: 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed, enfranchising all Americans regardless of race, creed, or color - but not gender 1872: Susan B. Anthony and 12 friends went to polls in Rochester, N.Y., and persuaded election inspectors to let them register and vote. Two weeks after the election the 13 women and 3 of the election inspectors were arrested. 1890: National American Woman Suffrage Association was formed Largely as a result of agitation by the association, suffrage was granted in the states of Colorado (1893), Utah and Idaho (1896), and Washington (1910) California granted women the vote in 1911; Kansas, Oregon, and Arizona followed in 1912; Nevada and Montana in 1914; and New York in 1917
Women s suffrage, Timeline 1918: House of Representatives held another vote. The House approved the amendment, but the Senate defeated it 1919: Congress finally approved the 19th Amendment which provided that "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." Aug. 26, 1920: The 19th Amendment was ratified 1971: Congress designated August 26 as Women s Equality Day to commemorate the 19th Amendment to the Constitution 2008: 160th Anniversary of the Women's Rights Movement which was launched at the world's first Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, NY (1848) and the 88 th anniversary of the 19 th Amendment
Women, achievements then and now Lucy Brewer First woman marine 1812 202,000 Total number of active duty women in the military, as of Sept. 30, 2006. 15% Proportion of members of the armed forces who were women, as of Sept. 30, 2006. In 1950, women comprised less than 2 percent 1.7 million The number of military veterans who are women Elizabeth Blackwell First woman to receive a medical degree 1849 894,000 The projected number of bachelor s degrees that will be awarded to women in the 2007-08 school year, Women would, therefore, earn 59 percent of the bachelor s and 61 percent of the master s degrees Women earn a majority (52 percent) of first-professional degrees, such as law and medical. 11 million women work in the health care industry 26.8 million Number of women 25 and older with a bachelor s degree or more education in 2006, more than double the number 20 years earlier. 27% Percent of women 25 and older who had obtained a bachelor s degree or more as of 2006. Victoria Chaflin Woodhull First woman to be presidential candidate 1872 Two women put themselves forward for the Presidency in the Nineteenth Century. Between 1964 and 2004 over fifty women were on at least one ballot as candidates for President, both as minor party candidates and as candidates in primaries for the nomination of the Republican or Democratic parties.
Women, achievements then and now Suzanna Madora Salter First woman mayor (Argonia, Kansas) 1887 187 mayors, or 15.7%, were women in 2008 Jeannette Rankin First woman in Congress 1916 Women hold 88, or 16.4%, of the 535 seats in the 110th US Congress 16, or 16.0%, of the 100 seats in the Senate and 72, or 16.6%, of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives. Kate Gleason First woman president of a national bank 1917 37% Percent of females 16 or older who work in management, professional and related occupations Hallie Ferguson First woman governor of U. S. state (Texas) 1924 29 women have served as governors, with 9 serving simultaneously in 2007 Frances Perkins First woman admitted to a presidential cabinet 1933 A total of 33 women have held cabinet or cabinet-level appointments in the history of our nation. Of the 33, 23 had cabinet posts Madeleine K. Albright First woman Secretary of State and highest ranking woman in the U.S. government 1997 Condoleezza Rice First African-American woman to be appointed Secretary of State 2005 (and the second woman) Nancy Pelosi First woman to become Speaker of the House 2007 Hillary Rodham Clinton First former First Lady presidential candidate 2008 Before 1970, more than 40 percent of the women in Congress gained office by succeeding their dead husbands
Women, the suffragist legacy, 88 years on "You know what? I am actually not that much into voting. I think it s kinda crazy that a woman is running, because I think that women deal with a lot of emotions and menopause and PMS and stuff. Like, I m so moody all the time, I know I couldn t be able to run a country, cause I d be crying one day and yelling at people the next day, ya know?, Brooke Hogan, when asked who she's voting for by a potential roommate on her series Brooke Knows Best, Jul. 21, 2008 Women have cast between 4 & 7 million more votes than men in recent elections 8.8 Million more women than men voted in 2004 elections The number of female voters has exceeded the number of male voters in every presidential election since 1964 In every presidential election since 1980, the proportion of eligible female adults who voted has exceeded the proportion of eligible male adults who voted 74 percent of women and 71 percent of men were registered to vote in the 2004 presidential election
Women, will we ever see a female president? In 1972, 26% of men and women said they would not vote for a woman for president In 1996, just over 5% for women and 8% of men said they would not vote for a woman for president In 2007, 7% said they would not vote for a woman for president at all (12% said not now but maybe in the future) In 1998, 51 % of Americans thought the US was ready to elect a woman president - 56% agreed in 2005, and 60% in 2007 In 2008, 28% thought being a woman was the biggest challenge to becoming president In 2008, 30% of women, 25% of men agreed that being a woman was the biggest challenge to becoming president In 2007, 36 % would vote for a woman as president but not for Hillary Clinton In 2008, 29% agree it s more difficult for women than African-Americans to get ahead in today s world (and 34% of women agree)