What was the status of women before the Civil War? How did women play activist roles in the 1800s? What are some ways to evaluate how well women have done in securing their civil rights? Describe what these methods have revealed about the current

Question

status of women. What women's issues remain on the American political agenda?

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

An ideal response will:
1, Identify that before the Civil War, no state allowed women to vote, few allowed them to sit on juries, and some even denied them the right to own property or enter into contracts.
2, List some activities of women in the 1800s, including participation in the abolitionist movement and advocating for women's emancipation and legal and political equality (e.g., Elizabeth Cady Stanton's 1848 Seneca Falls Convention).
3, Describe methods of evaluation, including over-time measures comparing women and men and a comparison of women's standing in the United States to the situation in the rest of the world.
4, Discuss how women have advanced in terms of median income, representation in the professions, and improved legal protections.
5, Explain that when compared to men, not much progress has been made in breaking the "glass ceiling" in the corporate world or in the holding of elective offices, although when compared to the rest of the world, the advances are more impressive, since UN reports show that almost half of all women managers and professionals in the world are in the United States.
6, Detail some current women's issues, such as pay equity, the higher poverty level of women, family leave, sexual harassment, and attention to women's health problems.