Group+02

Chelsea Adams **// Global Issues: Rough Draft //** When the colonists arrived in America from England they kept many of the same traditions and views that they originally had. One of the original views that they maintained was the place of women in society. Under English common law, the identity of a wife was merged into that of her husband. Upon marriage, he received all of her property and in return the husband was supposed to support his wife and children. Unfortunately because the woman has no legal rights to the property given to and owned by her husband, the husband can do with it what he pleases. Sometimes, the property is gambled away leaving the wife without any financial means for her and her children if her husband should pass (Women's Rights). American women began to see that the way that they were being treated wasn’t fair. They began to seek rights that were equal to those of males. One of the first attempts at gaining these rights was through the first women’s rights conventions in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848. During this convention men and women drafted and signed a Declaration of Sentiments which outlined grievances of the government and set the agenda for the women’s rights movement (Women's Rights Movement in the U.S.: Timeline of Events). After this convention the quest for women’s rights began to pick up speed. By 1850 the Married Women’s Separate Property Acts was enacted giving women the legal right to retain ownership and control of property they had brought to the marriage. Women were also able to secure custody of her children after divorce through the “best-interest-of-the-child” doctrine and the “tender years” doctrine (Women's Rights). American women wanted more then just their property though, they wanted a voice. Women reformers demanded for the right to vote, suffrage. Leaders in the women’s rights movement, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B Anthony, began the National Woman Suffrage Association. This group sought to create an amendment to the Constitution similar to the 15th Amendment, which gave nonwhite men the right to vote. This group worked on women’s suffrage on a state by state basis, seeking amendments to state constitutions (Women's Rights). Colorado was the first state to adopt an amendment granting women the right to vote in 1893. Utah and Idaho followed in 1896, Washington in 1910, California in 1911, Oregon, Kansas, and Arizona in 1912, Alaska and Illinois in 1913, Montana and Nevada in 1914, New York in 1917, and Michigan, South Dakota and Oklahoma in 1918. During 1918 even the president, Woodrow Wilson began backing the women’s rights movement. In 1920 the 19th Amendment was added to the Constitution (Women's Rights Movement in the U.S.: Timeline of Events). After gaining their right to vote, women began to want to voice as concern to their bodies. Women were not interested in only having sexual relations with their husbands or with the goal of conceiving a child. By the 1870s it was restricted by law for a woman to make decisions about reproduction. Most states passed laws about banning the use of contraceptives and publications through the mail advertising anything designed, adapted or intended to prevent conception or produce abortions. In 1916 Margaret Sanger opened the first United States birth control clinic in Brooklyn, New York which was shut down only ten days after it opened but eventually she won support from Congress and was able to open another one up again in 1923. Sanger also founded the American Birth Control League which later evolved into what we now know as Planned Parenthood. In 1936 birth control information was no longer classified as obscene and wide use of birth control became common place (Women's Rights Movement in the U.S.: Timeline of Events). Women were also interested in gaining rights in the work force. One of the first pieces of legislation that was passed in concern for gaining more labor rights for women was the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII prohibited employment discrimination based on sex. This was an important step in women’s rights because it not only opened the door for so many women who had been seeking employment, but it also gave women the right to question and challenge the basis of them not getting hired for a job (Women's Rights). At the same time, this act established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that is designed to investigate complaints issued by women who feel they were treated unjustly when seeking employment and impose penalties on those employers. Another piece of legislation passed was the Equal Pay Act in 1963, this act made it illegal for employers to pay a woman less than what a man would receive for the same job. In 1970 in Schultz vs. Wheaton Glass Co a United States Court of Appeals ruled that jobs held by men and women need to be substantially equal but not identical to fall under the protection of the Equal Pay Act. The employer is unable to change the job titles of women workers in order to pay them less then they would pay a man (Women's Rights Movement in the U.S.: Timeline of Events). In the modern women’s rights movement, women began to seek bans against sexual discrimination in education. This movement brought the support of many college educated women. In 1972, Title IX of the Education Amendments was put into action. The Title IX of the Education Amendments prohibits sex discrimination in educational institutions receiving federal financial assistance and also prohibited exclusion on basis of sex from non-contact sport teams (Women's Rights). Title IX revolutionized the opportunities that women were able to seek. Women were now able to receive a college education if they met the academic criteria without fearing that they wouldn’t be able to get in based on sex. Having a college education meant that women could do more then work in low income jobs, such as factories. This also revolutionized collegiate athletics, forcing colleges and universities to fund women’s athletics at the same comparable level of men’s athletics (Women's Rights). Also women didn’t want separate but equal schooling from males, they wanted to be able to integrate. Many colleges and universities thought that they could get away from supporting the education of women by just creating schools that were all male and all female. But, in 1996 in the case of the United States v. Virginia, the Supreme Court ruled that an all-male Virginia Military School had to admit women in order to continue receiving public funding. This ruling made it clear to all-male colleges and universities that creating separate schools for males and females would not suffice (Women's Rights Movement in the U.S.: Timeline of Events). American women have come so far since their humble beginnings of being the property of their husbands. Women have worked hard and have made it possible to do so many things that early women would have never thought could be possible. The contemporary American women is able to control any and all property if she so chooses even if she is married. She is able to divorce her husband and if they had children together, she is able to claim full custody of those children if she is found to be suitable by the “best-interest-of-the-child” and “tender years” doctrines. They are able cast a ballot for any election of a public official. Women can make decisions about their bodies as concerned with sexual reproduction. In some states women are allowed to practice this choice through abortion and in all 50 states a women can practice this through contraceptives. Women are able to join any work force that they choose and qualify for. Sometimes women are still discriminated against in the work force, but it is done illegally and not often. Lastly, the contemporary American woman is able to receive schooling for any university without sexual bias. There are still a few limitations put against women, such as becoming President but other then that women can be anyone and anything that they want to be.

"Women's Rights." //West's Encyclopedia of American Law//. Reference Answers, 2010. Web. 15 Feb. 2010. . "Women's Rights Movement in the U.S.: Timeline of Events (1848-1920) Infoplease.com." //Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free Online Reference, Research & Homework Help. Infoplease.com//. Web. 31 Mar. 2010. .

I. **Thesis**: Throughout history women of the United States and Egypt have taken steps concerning their rights. Factors such as history, government, and change in popular sentiment have affected the gain and loss of rights for women.
 * //__ Research Outline __//**

II: Supporting Topics: Women’s rights in the United States a. Progress from the formation of the United States b. Laws and sentiments that have changed that have affected the popular opinion of women’s rights c. Where we are presently with the progress of women’s rights d. Religion and Traditions e. Gain and loss

III. Women’s rights in Egypt a. Progress from the beginning of Egyptian society b. Geography, laws, government that have changed that has affected the popular opinion of women’s rights c. Where Egyptian women’s rights are at now, or where they are going 1. “Development will not achieve its goals unless women participate in it as complete and effective partners in all fields.” (Queen Rania of Jordan) 2. “The most dangerous of challenges are within us: these are the ideas received and unfounded fears, resulting from outmoded traditions and social customs.” (Egyptian First Lady Suzanne Mubarak) d. Religions and Traditions d. Gain and loss

IV. Compare and Contrast: Ancient Egyptian were considered equal to men and were treated with the respect a man would receive. The attitudes towards women and their status regressed radically as it became a Muslim and Islamic based society.

V. **Conclusion**: Throughout history women of the United States and Egypt have taken steps concerning their rights. Factors such as history, government, and change in popular sentiment have affected the gain and loss of rights for these women.


 * //__Proposal__//**

Currently, how does the women's rights in Egypt compare to those in America?
 * Essential Question:**

Our group decided to research about women's rights because we are very passionate and share a common interest on the topic. But before we have chosen the essential question we studied that in ancient Egypt there was a parity between men and women. Our research shows that compared to women in other ancient civilizations, ancient Egyptian women were treated with respect and had rights equal to men. As time passed, the attitudes towards women and their status regressed drastically as it became a male dominant society. We were more concerned on the women’s rights topic because it drew our attention how over time, Egyptian women's status in society started off immense an gradually descended. We wanted to compare the the differences of Egyptian and American women's rights in society and how their development are radically different.
 * Explanation of Choice:**

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 * Preliminary Research:**

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Gender and Class in the Egyptian Women's Movement, 1925-1939: Changing Perspectives (Middle East Studies Beyond Dominant Paradigms) by Catherine Mariscotti Syracuse University Press (December 30, 2008)

We plan on finding books, documentaries, movies and doing interviews with people who have first hand experiences with women’s rights in Egypt and America.
 * Sources:**

We think that this project will help us to become more aware of our surroundings and make us more appreciative of the life that we have. As American women there are a lot of things that we take for granted, for example choosing who we marry, being able to have a fair trial against a male, etc. but for women in Egypt, and so many other countries, this is not the case. We think that in choosing this topic we will become more empathetic to the situations of others whom are less fortunate then us. Also this will help us to become less selfish people.
 * How This Project Builds Our Knowledge:**

Cycle 1: Research, find sources (books, movies, documentaries, magazines, etc) Cycle 2: Research, find sources, begin synthesizing data Cycle 3: Complete research outline, delegate topics of 1st draft Cycle 4: Work on specific topic Cycle 5: Work on specific topic Cycle 6: Bring together topics, finish first draft Cycle 7: Edit first draft, work on final Cycle 8: Work on presentation Cycle 9: Finish anything that wasn’t taken care of, cruise! J
 * Timeline:**

Summary (not quite finished yet) http://womenshistory.about.com/library/ency/blwh_egypt.htm

Summary - Rural and lower-class Egyptians believe that women are morally inferior to men. o Expected to defer to senior male relatives o Veil themselves in public - After marriage women expected their husbands to make all decisions o Early married life could be a time of extreme subordination and insecurity o New wife usually lived with or near her husband's family and is expected to help her mother-in-law with household chores o Pressured to bare son § Barrenness was a woman's worst possible misfortune, and not giving birth to a son was almost as bad § Women who had only daughters were derogatorily called "mothers of brides" § Most families continued having children until they had at least two sons. § A woman was at the peak of her power when her sons were married because she could then exercise influence over her sons' children and wives. - Sexual behavior and reputation of the women are the most important components of a family's honor. o A bad reputation for one woman meant a bad reputation for the whole lineage. o Men were especially interested in maintaining honor. Women were always on their best behavior around men from other families because they were afraid of getting a bad reputation. o A disgraced husband could restore his status through divorce. § Most disgraced fathers and brothers in rural and lower-class urban families believed that honor could only be restored by killing the daughter or sister suspected of sexual misconduct. - Women do household tasks and child rearing and have rarely had opportunities for contact with men outside the family. - 1952 Revolution, social changes, especially in education, have caused many women to spend time in public places among men who were not related to them. o Veiling and gender segregation at schools, work, and recreation have become commonplace. o Lower class families, especially in Upper Egypt, have tended to withdraw girls from school as they reached puberty to minimize their interaction with men. § Lower-class men frequently preferred marriage to women who had been secluded rather than to those who had worked or attended secondary school. - Egypt's laws pertaining to marriage and divorce favored the social position of men. o Muslim husbands were traditionally allowed to have up to four wives o Muslim man could divorce his wife with ease by saying "I divorce thee" on three separate occasions in the presence of witnesses. A woman wishing to dissolve a marriage had to instigate legal proceedings and prove to a court that her husband had failed to support her or that his behavior was having a harmful moral effect on the family.

&&& btw good job at the race today kari! and HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVA! :))))))



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I found a video that has talks by women in modern day Egypt.

Amin, Hussein Abdulwaheed. "About Islam for Today". Women in Islam, 16 Aug. 2007. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. 
 * __Sources:__**

Hawley, Caroline. "Arab women demands equal opportunities". BBC News, 20 Nov. 2000. Web. 17 Feb 2010. 

Hawley, Caroline. "Egypt debates better deals for women". BBC News,17 January 2000. 18 February 2010. < http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/605528.stm>

Hawley, Caroline. "First Egyptian women files for divorce". BBC News, 29 Jan. 2000. Web. 17 Feb 2010. 

Johnson, Janet H. "Women's Leagal Rights in Ancient Egypt". 2002. 28 Jan 2010. 

Lewis, Jone Johnson. "Egypt- Women". Encyclopedia of Women's History. Dec 1990. 27 Jan 2010. 

Lou, Jessica. "Egypt". Women's Rights- A Journey Around The World 2000. 28 Jan 2010. 

Mariscotti, Catherine. Gender and Class in the Egyptian Women's Movement, 1925-1939: Changing Perspectives (Middle East Studies Beyond Dominant Paradigms). Syracuse University Press. December 30, 2008. Print.

__Due Dates:__

Proposal-January 28 Research Outline- February 19 First Draft- March 31 Final- April 27 Presentation- May 14

I'm just adding a bit more interesting articles just to see, i dont know if anyone wants to use these as part of the paper

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