The Suffragette’s Roar Echoes In A Society That Diminishes Females

“A Woman’s place is in the home.’ This was a fundamental belief up until the 1920s that served as an obstacle for women to express their opinion and exercise other freedoms. Nevertheless, the 21st century still carries similar beliefs and expectations that diminish the value of women.

“It's still in our culture... we're expected to get married and have children. I think even people a lot younger than me who, get married, have children, and then their husbands decide where they will live,” said Catherine Lorenz, an art-book designer during the Women to The Polls (WTTP) Suffrage Film Festival.

WTTP celebrates the 100th Year Anniversary of Women’s Right to Vote this year, and has scheduled screenings that serve as reminders of the suffragettes' long-term battle against unjust gender discrimination.

Their first screening occurred on March 8, International Women’s Day, and featured the 1912 silent film "Making an American Citizen," directed by Alice Guy, as well as 20th Century Fox's 1947 film "The Shocking Miss Pilgrim."

“The Shocking Miss Pilgrim, set in 1874, anachronistically revisits women’s suffrage in relation to employment, femininity and heterosexual romance,” said Kathleen McHugh, a Professor in the Department of Film, Television and Visual Media at UCLA.

In Aug. 26, 1920 the majority of the States' legislatures ratified the 19th Amendment, and women were bestowed voting rights: “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.”

“So, for me, the value of women having the right to vote is how important it is that voter suppression to be eradicated to the extent that that's possible, and that everybody to be able to vote,” said Professor McHugh.

Although the suffragette’s fight ended victoriously, however, there is still a long way to go for equal rights among genders. Since the 1848 Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention, the social transition has been moving at a slow rate of speed.

A study by The Pew Research Center surveyed a pool of women who have faced gender-based discrimination or unfair treatment, and found that 71 percent say the country still has far to go when it comes to equal rights for women in relation to men.

“I mean, why are we just having the me too movement now? That's just horrible that we've let so many women, be submitted to so much abuse for so long. And we just all turned our shoulders and laughed and pretended it wasn't happening,” said Lorenz.

Furthermore, women are being denied equal pay on the account of sex. Professionals within women's organizations, such as Executive Director at the California Women’s Law Center Betsy Butler, assure that “women don’t get paid what men get paid."

“In 2017, the average annual Social Security income received by women 65 years and older was $14,353, compared to $18,041 for men,” according to the Social Security Administration. 

The combat to transform a discriminatory society to a more nurturing one requires courage, action and solidarity. 

“Banding together, supporting each other and speaking out, is the way that we make progress.” according to Kathy Seal, Group Leader of Citizen’s Climate Lobby. “If we support each other's dignity, we can have much better relationships of respect and love from each other."