The women's rights movement started in 1848 by Elizabeth Cady Stanton with the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions. Many of the the equalities demanded by the movement took over a hundred years for them to come to be:
- The right to vote: 72 yrs.
- Equal rights: 116 yrs.
- Make it illegal for a woman to be raped by her husband: 128 yrs. and then only if it occurred in Nevada.
Advocacy efforts need to be created and maintained keeping in mind how painfully slow real change can take. A advocacy strategic plan needs to include:
- clearly defined long term goals
- break-up the ultimate vision into smaller short term goals
- remain flexible and change to current climates
- the ability to see short term losses and opposition as only small set backs and not major defeats
- patience
- create an atmosphere of perseverance for group members and allies
The women's movement utilized these principles to great effect. It started in one form and as times and climates changed, so did the movement. By remaining flexible they gained many allies along the way. Which culminated in a huge equal rights movement for many more people than was initially declared by Stanton and her allies.
Today many, many people owe many things they take for granted to those few brave women started back in 1848. They never gave up, you shouldn't either.
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