Hein Online - Women and the Law

For this post in honor of Women’s History Month, let’s turn the clock back to America in 1916. World War I had torn Europe apart for the last three years, and the United States teetered on the edge of falling into the conflict. Women did not have the right to vote at the federal level. But this lack of a voice had not prevented Montana from electing Jeannette Rankin to the House of Representatives—the first woman elected to federal office.

Are men and women seen as equal under the law in 2022 America? Women have the right to vote and to equal wages, and there are more women in power than ever before. And sex discrimination has been tackled in various federal and state laws over the years. However, the United States Constitution[1] does not yet recognize equality on the basis of sex. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) would change that, making sure that women’s basic rights are forever protected. However, despite the fact that it was written nearly 100 years ago, the ERA has not yet been ratified.

March is recognized as Women’s History Month, but the fight for gender equality in the United States is one that continues to this day. Women have made massive strides, however, there is still much to do. While we continue to work towards a more equitable future, it’s the perfect time to review some milestone moments in the women’s rights movement with the help of HeinOnline.

If your Netflix algorithm was calibrated toward a certain kind of show circa December 2020, chances are you were prompted to watch Bridgerton. While Bridgerton certainly sensationalizes the past, its central world—the social season, presenting debutantes at court, the insular, privileged life of high society (“the ton”) in its ultimate pursuit of a suitable marriage—was very real. Just as the first season of Bridgerton focuses on eldest daughter Daphne coming out into society, so too will this post focus on how society’s rules and laws around marriage affected women.

Women’s History Month has been observed since the 1980s as a way to highlight the contributions of women to society over the years. Let’s do just that with HeinOnline’s Women and the Law database by taking a look at some of the most notable “female firsts” in U.S. history.

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt is well-known for her role as First Lady to the longest-sitting president in American history. In reality, she was much more than that, demonstrating throughout her life that she was also, among many things, an accomplished businesswoman, a passionate civil rights activist, and a skillful diplomat.

In 1914, a constitutional amendment for women’s suffrage—nicknamed the “Susan B. Anthony Amendment,” after one of its most ardent supporters—was considered by the Senate. The proposed amendment followed more than a half-century’s fight for legal recognition of the female right to vote, decades of which were characterized by suffragist conventions, parades, and arrests across the country.

Last week, the Alabama legislature passed the most restrictive abortion bill in the United States, which Republican Governor Kay Ivey signed into law. The bill would make it a felony for the doctors to perform or attempt to perform an abortion in the state (although the woman who receives an abortion would not be held criminally culpable or civilly liable).