Women Rights In North America

By Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar

We, men and women, are the progeny of the same Supreme Consciousness. Women and men are equally divine and inherit similar and equal rights to life, liberty and expression. The significance of life does not lie only in living. Animals also live. But life to us means something more – rather something much more.

To us life means living for a great cause. Life implies the endeavour to have the freedom to express one’s potentialities in the physical, economic, psychic and spiritual realms. It means real liberty and not license to commit anything good or bad.

In the annals of human history we do find women whose memory glorifies not only womanhood, but the entire human world. In philosophy and spirituality, social reform and educational pursuits, science and technology, they stand second to none. Women are found discussing the riddles of philosophy, solving problems of social and educational reform, and are inspiring men in times of struggle. They have their potentiality no less than men. The difference in natural and biological characteristics between men and women speaks only of coordinated cooperation, not of subordinated cooperation.

Yet the annals of history depict the sad and painful episodes of women’s exploitation throughout the world. To fulfil this sinister design, dogmas were created which led to psycho-economic exploitation. Dogmas were cunningly popularized and women were degenerated to slavery. Psychic exploitation has been infused into the minds of women and many symbols which are religiously observed are nothing but symbols of slavery. In many religions of the world today women are not allowed to become priests in the religious hierarchy.

Women’s exploitation is more or less the same everywhere. Is it not a fact that in many countries even franchise rights were not given equally to men and women?

Even today women are slaves to the male-dominated social order. This is not only bad but deplorable. We should decry such domination of women and their psycho-economic exploitation through the evil design of dogmas. To abolish dogma and liberate women from psychic exploitation, there should be:

1. Free education for all women in all countries of the world.
2. No discrimination in the social, educational and religious realms.
3. The provision of economic and social security to all women. We stand to create a powerful, dynamic and upsurging social consciousness, especially among women, so that they are inspired to rise, abolish dogma and annihilate all symbols of slavery, and usher in a new era of coordinated cooperation and glorious achievement. Let women be the vanguard of a new revolution which humanity must achieve for a glorious tomorrow
   .

Ending Widespread Violence Against Women

Around the world, as many as one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex, or abused in some other way - most often by someone she knows, including by her husband or another male family member; one woman in four has been abused during pregnancy.

"Violence against women both violates and impairs or nullifies the enjoyment by women of their human rights and fundamental freedoms... In all societies, to a greater or lesser degree, women and girls are subjected to physical, sexual and psychological abuse that cuts across lines of income, class and culture."

—Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, paragraph 112

Gender-based violence both reflects and reinforces inequities between men and women and compromises the health, dignity, security and autonomy of its victims. It encompasses a wide range of human rights violations, including sexual abuse of children, rape, domestic violence, sexual assault and harassment, trafficking of women and girls and several harmful traditional practices. Any one of these abuses can leave deep psychological scars, damage the health of women and girls in general, including their reproductive and sexual health, and in some instances, results in death.

Violence against women has been called "the most pervasive yet least recognized human rights abuse in the world." Accordingly, the Vienna Human Rights Conference and the Fourth World Conference on Women gave priority to this issue, which jeopardizes women's lives, bodies, psychological integrity and freedom. Violence may have profound effects – direct and indirect – on a woman's reproductive health, including:

• Unwanted pregnancies and restricted access to family planning information and contraceptives
• Unsafe abortion or injuries sustained during a legal abortion after an unwanted pregnancy
• Complications from frequent, high-risk pregnancies and lack of follow-up care
• Sexually transmitted infections, including HIV
• Persistent gynaecological problems
• Psychological problems

Gender-based violence also serves – by intention or effect – to perpetuate male power and control. It is sustained by a culture of silence and denial of the seriousness of the health consequences of abuse. In addition to the harm they exact on the individual level, these consequences also exact a social toll and place a heavy and unnecessary burden on health services.

UNFPA recognizes that violence against women is inextricably linked to gender-based inequalities. When women and girls are expected to be generally subservient, their behaviour in relation to their health, including reproductive health, is negatively affected at all stages of the life cycle.

UNFPA puts every effort into breaking the silence and ensuring that the voices of women are heard. At the same time, the Fund works to change the paradigm of masculinity that allows for the resolution of conflict through violence. One strategy is to engage men - policy makers, parents and young boys — in discourse about the dynamics and consequences of violence.

As the chart below shows, women may face different forms of violence at different stages of their lives.

Gender discrimination throughout a woman's life

Phase	Type
Prenatal	Prenatal sex selection, battering during pregnancy, coerced pregnancy (rape during war)
Infancy	Female infanticide, emotional and physical abuse, differential access to food and medical care
Childhood	Genital cutting; incest and sexual abuse; differential access to food, medical care, and education; child prostitution
Adolescence	Dating and courtship violence, economically coerced sex, sexual abuse in the workplace, rape, sexual harassment, forced prostitution
Reproductive	Abuse of women by intimate partners, marital rape, dowry abuse and murders, partner homicide, psychological abuse, sexual abuse in the workplace, sexual harassment, rape, abuse of women with disabilities
Old Age	Abuse of widows, elder abuse (which affects mostly women)

Source: Heise, L. 1994. Violence Against Women: The Hidden Health Burden. World Bank Discussion Paper. Washington. D.C. The World Bank

Violence at home

Most domestic violence involves male anger directed against their women partners. This gender difference appears to be rooted in the way boys and men are socialized -- biological factors do not seem to account for the dramatic differences in behaviour in this regard between men and women.

Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to gender-based violence. Some husbands become more violent during the wife's pregnancy, even kicking or hitting their wives in the belly. These women run twice the risk of miscarriage and four times the risk of having a low birth-weight baby.

Cross-cultural studies of wife abuse have found that nearly a fifth of peasant and small-scale societies are essentially free of family violence. The existence of such cultures proves that male violence against women is not the inevitable result of male biology or sexuality, but more a matter of how society views masculinity.

Gender and violence

Studies of very young boys and girls show only that, although boys may have a lower tolerance for frustration, and a tendency towards rough-and-tumble play, these tendencies are dwarfed by the importance of male socialization and peer pressure into gender roles.

The prevalence of domestic violence in a given society, therefore, is the result of tacit acceptance by that society. The way men view themselves as men, and the way they view women, will determine whether they use violence or coercion against women.

UNFPA recognizes that ending gender-based violence will mean changing cultural concepts about masculinity, and that process must actively engage men, whether they be policy makers, parents, spouses or young boys.

Sexual assault

The majority of sexual assault victims are young. Women in positions of abject dependence on male authorities are also particularly subject to unwanted sexual coercion. Rape in time of war is still common. It has been extensively documented in recent civil conflicts, and has been used systematically as an instrument of torture or ethnic domination.

Now, with precedents set at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, in Tanzania, and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, at The Hague, for mass rape, other acts such as sexual assault, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced sterilization, forced abortion, and forced pregnancy may qualify as crimes of torture, crimes against humanity, and even some as crimes of genocide.

UNFPA responds

Because gender-based violence is sustained by silence, women's voices must be heard. UNFPA puts every effort into enabling women to speak out against gender-based violence, and to get help when they are victims of it. The Fund is also committed to keeping gender-based violence in the spotlight as a major health and human rights concern. 

UNFPA advocates for legislative reform and enforcement of laws for the promotion and the protection of women's rights to reproductive health choices and informed consent, including promotion of women's awareness of laws , regulations and policies that affect their rights and responsibilities in family life. The Fund promotes zero tolerance of all forms of violence against women and works for the eradication of traditional practices that are harmful to women's reproductive and sexual health, such as rituals associated with puberty. 

As part of its work to counter gender-based violence, UNFPA has supported training of medical professionals, to make them more sensitive towards women who may have experienced violence and to meet their health needs. Pilot interventions have been tested in 10 countries-Cape Verde, Ecuador, Guatemala, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mozambique, Nepal, Romania, Russia and Sri Lanka.

Following consultations with health providers and clients, all women were screened for abuse in some pilot projects. Possible victims have been offered legal, medical and psychological support, and medical referrals when necessary. Attention has been paid to involving communities, and to creating support networks for gender-based violence victims that include both police and health-care providers, along with counselling services.

UNFPA has also held workshops for health providers on recognizing the effects of gender-based violence on women's health, and on how to detect and prevent abuse and assist victims. These have stressed the need for confidentiality and monitoring.

Based on this experience, UNFPA has produced a manual, A Practical Approach to Gender-based Violence, which has been translated into seven languages.

Additional strategies the Fund employs to address gender-based violence include:

• Ensuring that emergency contraception is available for victims of sexual violence
• Strengthening advocacy on gender-based violence in all country programmes, in conjunction with other United Nations partners and NGOs
• Advocating for women with parliamentarians and women's national networks
• Integrating messages on the prevention of gender-based violence into information, education and communication projects
• Conducting more research on gender-based violence

Feminist Flashmob for Women's Rights (Philippines)

During the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2012, a feminist flash mob dance to the tune of "I am Woman" led by World March of Women - Philipinas was held at Plaza Miranda (in front on Quiapo Church, Manila, PH), at noon.

Women dancers-activists first blended with the vendors, with some holding balloons, as fortune-tellers, beggars, etc. Three dancers started clapping to the tune of the music, then seven dancers joined releasing purple balloons bearing the logo of the World March of Women. They were joined by another 20 coming from the crowd, until it grew to 70. The last batch of dancers, students from the University of the Philippines --Manila made it a throng. On the last minute of the song, as steps turned to hip-hop, dancers took off their costumes, revealing white shirts which defiantly bore words "RH Now" in the face of continued delay in its passage in Congress. Some shirts shout "Climate Justice!", in the face of ongoing negotiations in Doha, Qatar and the devastation of typhoon Pablo in Mindanao. Other shirts carried slogans such as "Women Need FOI!", "Secure Jobs for All!" and "Scrap VFA!"

Around 100 participated in the flash mob from Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL), Bagong Kamalayan, Batis Center for Women, Buklod, Center for Migrant Advocacy (CMA), Coalition Against Trafficking in Women - Asia Pacific (CATW-AP), Focus on the Global South, Foundation for Media Alternatives, KAISA - Nagkakaisang Iskolar para sa Pamantasan at Sambayanan - UP Diliman, KAISA-KA, Pambansang Koalisyon ng Kababaihan sa Kanayunan (PKKK), Partido ng Manggagawa, Sarilaya, TIGRA Philippines, UP Manila students, WomanHealth Philippines, Women's Crisis Center (WCC), and Youth and Students Advancing Gender Equality (YSAGE)

PHILIPPINES: Women’s Rights Laws in Place

Advocates hope that women will benefit fully from the new law. Credit:Stephen de Tarczynski/IPS

By Stephen de Tarczynski

MANILA, Oct 28 (IPS) – Although the enacting in August of the Magna Carta of Women (MCW) – a major law aiming to end discrimination against women across the archipelago – was well-received here, there remain concerns about whether the legislation will be fully implemented.

Mary Joan Guan, executive director of the Centre for Women’s Research, a Manila-based advocacy and training organisation, says that the efficacy of the MCW relies on its implementation going against the trend of previous women’s rights legislation.

The Philippines “already has 27 laws concerning women’s rights…[but] in reality these laws are not implemented at all,” she says. It ratified the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1981. 

The Magna Carta is the end product of two separate bills introduced in Congress in 2002. After years of debate and opposition, it was finally signed into law by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Aug. 14.

While Guan welcomes the MCW, she remains circumspect regarding its implementation, due to occur following the formulation of the rules and regulations of the MCW by February next year.

“We hope that it won’t be, again, more lip-service from the government,” she says.

Under the terms of the legislation, the Philippine government is the primary duty-bearer for implementing the law. It is charged with protecting women from discrimination and upholding and promoting their rights.

Luz Rodriguez, national coordinator of UNIFEM – the United Nations Development Fund for Women – agrees that the proof of the MCW’s worth will be in the proverbial pudding.

She regards the enacting of the law as just the end of the first phase of the struggle. The second phase – that of the MCW’s implementation – is yet to come.

“We have won a battle but not quite the war,” says Rodriguez.

The MCW nonetheless represents a considerable success for the cause of women’s rights in the Philippines.

Included among its provisions are that Filipino women are legally protected from all forms of violence and from discrimination in employment, education and training; that women are guaranteed security in times of disaster or other crises; that they are provided with comprehensive health care and information; and that women are afforded equal treatment before the law and in matters relating to marriage.

The MCW also has a particular focus on marginalised Filipino women. It guarantees the rights of women such as small farmers and rural workers, informal sector workers and the urban poor, indigenous women and those with disabilities, as well as older women and girls.

These guarantees include the right to food security, affordable and secure housing, employment, the recognition and preservation of cultural identity, and to women’s inclusion in discussions pertaining to development and peace issues.

Rodriguez supports this highlighting of marginalised Filipinas. She says that while the Philippines is often “touted to be some kind of a model of gender responsive practice in the region” the experiences of many women in Asia’s only predominantly-Catholic nation is very different.

The Philippines rates relatively well in terms of gender parity. According to the United Nations’ 2009 Human Development Report, the country is 40th out of 155 nations – ahead of the likes of South Africa and Australia – when the gender-related development index is compared directly to the human development index.

Filipino women also rank better than their male compatriots in regards to life expectancy, literacy rates and education.

But Rodriguez argues that in a country where women can aspire to become president – Macapagal-Arroyo is the second female president of the Philippines; the late Cory Aquino was the first – the majority of women here remain particularly vulnerable.

“Indeed, there are women who can make it to the top but they’re just a minority,” she says.

“We should recognise that even among women there is what we might call ‘layered levels’ of discrimination,” adds Rodriguez.

Guan supports this view, telling IPS that most Filipino women live on the fringes of society, where many undertake low-skilled irregular or contractual employment.

“The opportunities for women are still limited and even though their labour-force participation is increasing – but still less than men’s – they are not given the opportunities in the higher levels,” she says.

Guan views the MCW as “an additional help” to CEDAW, the landmark international treaty on women’s rights which was adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in 1979.

The Philippines was the first of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to ratify CEDAW, and it has also adopted the convention’s Optional Protocol which came into force in December 2000. (END/2009)

Interesting Facts about Russian Women and Women Rights in Russia

Women at Work. Women make 46.9% of the employed population in Russia. The greatest proportion of working women are in public health service (85%), education (81%), credit and finance (78%), information

Malevich, "Taking in the Harvest", 1911, Stedelijk, Amsterdam

and accounting services (75%), whilst the lowest share is in the construction industry (22%).
" As in Soviet times, the majority of working women are trapped in low-wage ghettos, such as medicine, education, and clerical jobs. The difference is that Soviet-era perks, such as accessible day care and child allowances, have evaporated" writes Fred Weir in his article.

The principle of equal pay for equal work is in the constitution but men prevail in leading positions and dominate among well paid experts, so men's average wage is higher than women's and it seems to increase even more with time.

There are protective laws prohibiting too hard jobs for women, such as carrying too heavy weights, or working at night. You'll see many women, though, working in the shops and in the metro past midnight: the law allows 'temporary' contracts for such jobs. Pregnant women or women with a child 1 to 3 years of age are strictly forbidden to work at night. When a pregnant woman leaves her job to give birth and look after her child, there is a 'requirement for a 3 year-paid maternity leave for child care'. Therefore young women are discriminated when applying for a job.

Deneika, 1926, Tetryakov Gal, Moscow. 'At the construction of new factory shops'

 

Women make 45% of the unemployed population. Many women lost their jobs after the end of Soviet Union. Also, like many men, some educated women left their jobs themselves (because of lack of proper payment) for other jobs where they don't put in practice their skills. Some women stopped working and stayed at home, some women became alcoholics.

The age for pension is 55 years old for women, and 60 for men. However State pensions are usually 1500 R/month (50$) which is barely enough to eat for one month. Consequently many old women find little jobs to earn a bit more.
information from site http://www.ihfhr.org/reports/women/russia.pdf
quotes by Fred Weir (fweir at online dot ru).

Wedding, Russian Surname. The legal marrying age is 18 years old for both men and women, but it is possible under some special circumstances for a girl to marry at 16 of age.

Property acquired by spouses during marriage is their joint property, unless stipulated differently in a contract between spouses.

The spouses can share their surnames after the wedding. The husband can take the surname of his wife or vice-versa.The surname of a man is feminised with the suffix -a to become a woman's surname: for example if the husband is called Smirnof, the wife can change her surname to Smirnova. The spouses can also keep their original names. After divorce names can be kept or recovered. 

In Russia, children are usually given a name, and a patronymic (derived from the name of their father). For example Anna has a father called Petr Pushkin, she will be called Anna Petrovna Pushkina. Her brother will be called Stepan Petrovitch Pushkin. People use more often their patronymics than their surname to present themselves in official meetings.


Family Planning. Contraceptives and hormone containing remedies are relatively expensive in Russia as the monthly average income salary is 1500 R (54$) and a condom costs around 9 R (0,3$) and pills between 50 and 300 R (1,8 and 10$).

In Russia, abortion still remains the main method of birth control. Abortion is legally permitted under the following instances: at a woman's request within the 12th week of pregnancy; within 22 weeks if there are social conditions under which pregnancy, child birth and child rearing would become a heavy burden for a woman; and at any time if it is established that pregnancy could harm the health of the mother or the child. 

Russia's abortion rate is one of the highest in the world. For every 100 births there are approximately 200 abortions.

Due to the lack of funds in the public health services it is not always possible for a woman to have an abortion 'at her own will' free of charge. An abortion costs 5$ in rural regions and 50$ in Moscow. 

Programs of family planning were applied between 1992 and 1996, making the number of abortions decline by 25% . But in the following years, there were less or no funds put in the programs, because of pressures mainly by religious groups, and the percentage of abortions raised again. Sexual education is given since 1996 in schools in Moscow and St Pet but not in every establishment
 

Your Comments
  Comment (posted on 3/03/03): "Some questions about Russian men from a western girl:
1) how are the Russian men?
2) how do the Russian men feel about foreign women?
3) I have heard about Russian men beeing promiscuous, is that true?
4) Are contraceptives considered positive by men? Condoms for example?
5) The young women were described vividly in various ways on this site, how are the Russian men, really??"

Answers:
1) Russian men are nice and warm creatures, but sometimes you may not notice it at the first glance. Also, there are some pretty guys around, but most of the men tend not to look after themselves as much, as British men, for example. But, as I said, Russian men are nice to their women anyway.

2) Russian men don't know much about foreign women, so they feel they are strangers. But generally, there's a stereotype of foreign women being used to comfortable life, and being independent, so a normal Russian men will "play safe" and choose a Russian woman instead. But this applies to middle-aged men only. I think young people don't care, as long as they like somebody.

3) Oh, I don't know the word "promiscuous"... Ok, I looked in dictionary, now I understand... Well, in other words, do they like to sleep with many different women? Mmhh, I don't know, I don't think it is something common. Who told you that?

4) Yes, sure, mostly condoms, as contraceptive pills are not widely spread and don't protect as much as condom. However, there is a common thing in Russians called "pofigizm", which means something like "not caring about anything", so it's better if you 've got one, cause your Russian mate may just forget...

5) This is a hard question, but wait... I believe I answered it before... let me see...Yes, I found it, see Myths and Truth section, answer to the comment sent on 10/11/2002.

Comment (received 4/03/02): "Instead of whining about abortion in this country........ why don't the anti-choicers promote contraceptive use and access in places like Russia?
Oh, I know why......because they're blithering idiots with piss for brains."
Answer: Ok..

Comment (received 15/03/02): "I am an American, that currently lives in South Korea. I have met many Russians here, and fell in love with one (soon to marry). A lot of the information here is accurate. I have found the Russians I've met to be very interesting, open, funny, intelligent, socialable, and just all around respectable people. 

I've found many of the traditions and social customs at first strange, but after becoming use to them, it is almost a foreign concept not to do them. As far as Russian women go...I am whole heartedly in support some of the best women in the world are Russian. I have met all the "breeds/stlyes" mentioned in the marriage section, but in general, I have found them to be sincere, honest, and not out for just themselves. I could easily speak at length of them, singing praises, but I don't have the time here and now. I will say one of the things that has impressed me is the level of their intelligence and education. Their open-mindedness is a welcome change. And finally, they can work like a man, but no matter what, they are a woman first and foremost. You will not mistake them for anything other than a woman. 

 

My experiences with the Russians (both male and female) I have met has lead me to start studying Russia, its language, culture, and history. All societies have their negative points, Russia is no different, but I have found the Russian people to be some of the best I have ever met. I say this after having lived and traveled in 17 different countries.

To answer the 3/03/03 question as to Russian men being promiscuous, yes they are. All men, from all countries, are to some extent. From talking with both Russian men and women, I would say they (generalization) are a cross between France's attitude and America's. But that is not to say all are. Some are serious about their fidelity, some not. Bluntly, they are people just like anyone else. 

One word of advice for any who meet Russians, accept them and their culture, learn from them and you will find your life changing in many ways. I have had nothing but good dealings with the Russians I have met and based on that alone, plan a recreational trip to Russia in the next year or two. I will not say that about many of the other countries I have visited (especially South Korea).

Comment (22/07/03): "Ok, this 'facts about women' section is much better than the other article. I'm appeased.
Shoel, UK"

Answer: This is the person who didn't like our Young Women article...

Comment (26/11/03): "Can you direct me to the section of Russian law that deals with the name of the wife after marriage?
Thanks,
Jan "

Answer: You need to take a look at the Family Codex of Russian Federation. Also, if you will be applying for marriage at a Russian ZAGS (marriage registration office), they will be able to provide you with this law.

Comment (13/01/04): "Im falling in love with Russian man, I want to know, can I check his status?? Was he marriaged or single??
Im Thai girl"

Answer: It's very easy - every Russian citizen has a Russian passport and if he or she is married there will be a stamp confirming the marriage (date, ZAGS number, and name of spouse). Don't mistake it with the registration stamp and a military service stamp. When I have time, I'll scan my own passport to show you what it looks like :-)

Unfortunately, if your man is in Thailand now, he is likely to have a travel passport with him only, so you won't be able to check it there.

Muslim Husband Wife Quotes and Sayings

Here You can Read Beautiful Islamic Quotes and Sayings About Muslim Husband and Wife

In Islam, marriage is a blessed contract between (Muslim Husband and Wife) a man and a woman. Each have their own role to play in making a marriage successful.

Islam has enjoined upon the husband duties towards his wife, and vice versa, and among these duties are some which are shared by both husband and wife.

 The Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) Quotes About Husband and Wife

 The husband's possessions are his wife’s trust. She needs to safeguard his property and possessions.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
“The woman is the guardian of her husband’s house and is responsible for it.” (Bukhari)

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
“Any woman who dies while her husband is pleased with her, she will enter Jannah.” (At-Tirmidhi)

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) advised men:
"The best amongst you, are the best for their wives, and I am the best of you for my wives." (Tirmidhi)

 It’s important that Muslim women understand the value of respect for men, especially Muslim men.

The Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) said: “The most perfect Muslim in the matter of faith is one who has excellent behavior;  and the best among you are those who behave best towards their wives” (From Mishkaat)

The Respect for Women in Islam Quotes

Hazrat Muhammad (P.BU.H) Quotes about Women

 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) advised men:
"The best amongst you, are the best for their wives, and I am the best of you for my wives." (Tirmidhi)

The husband's possessions are his wife’s trust. She needs to safeguard his property and possessions. 

Abu Hurairah (May Allaah be pleased with him) reported : 

Messenger of ALLAH (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said : 

"Take my advice with regard to women : Act kindly towards women , for they were created from a rib, and the most crooked part of a rib is its uppermost . If you attempt to straighten it ; you will break it, and if you leave it alone it will remain crooked ; so act kindly toward women ".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

 Better Husband and Wife Relationship

Allah described marriage very differently in the Quran:
“He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquility with them,
and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts).” (Al-Quran 30:21)

"...And they (women) have rights similar to those (of men) over them in a just manner..."
Holy Qur'an (2: 228)

Women Rights In Islam

Allah (SWT) Gave Women Their Rights :- The most basic right of a woman in Islam is the knowledge and recognition that she never has to ask or demand or fight for her rights which are guaranteed to her by Allah (SWT) who is All-Compassionate, All-Merciful, All-Just, All-Unbiased, All-Knowing and Most Wise. These rights, which were granted to women more than 1400 years ago, and were taught by the perfect example of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), were given by the one who created us and who alone knows what rights are best for our female natures. Allah (SWT) says in the Quran: "O you who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against their will, and you should not treat them with harshness, that you may take away part of the Mahr (bridal-money given by the husband to his wife at time of marriage) you have given them, unless they commit open illegal sexual intercourse. And live with them honorably. If you dislike them, it may be that you dislike a thing and Allah brings through it a great deal of good." (An-Nisa 4:19)

Human Rights:- Islam considers a woman to be equal to a man as a human being and as his partner. Women have been created with a soul of the same nature as men. Allah (SWT) says in the Quran: "O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife (Eve), and from them both He created many men and women and fear Allah through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship). Surely, Allah is Ever and All-Watcher over you." (Al-Nisa 4:1)

And in the words of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), "Assuredly, women are the twin halves of men." (Sahih reported by Abu-Dawud (RA)

Equality in Rewards and Punishments: - Both males and females have similar rewards for obedience and penalties for disobedience in this world and the Hereafter. As stated by Allah in the Glorious Qur'an: (Whoever does righteous acts, whether male or female, while he is a believer, verily, to him We will give a good life, and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do.)

There is no compulsion in religion according to the Quran: "There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taught [anything worshipped other then the Real God (Allah)] and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower."(Al-Baqarah 2:256)

the Qur'an Sura 4 Verse 32 states: And in nowise covet those things in which Allah hath bestowed His gifts more freely on some of you than on others: to men is allotted what they earn, and to women what they earn: But ask Allah of his bounty. For Allah hath full knowledge of all things.

The Economic and Political Position of Women in Islam:-In the Islamic history there were no restrictions in women's full participation in the economic, political and social spheres of their society. e.g., Khadija, the Prophet's first wife was one of the most important merchants of the time, Ayisha, the Prophet's other wife was one of his most important advisers and consultants. The women also participated in wars and fought in the battles.

Right to Get an Education:- A woman in Islam has the right to knowledge and education. Allah (SWT) bestows His mercy upon all who seek knowledge, and gives them high status: "Is one who is obedient to Allah, prostrating himself or standing (in prayer) during the hours of the night, fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the Mercy of his Lord (like one who disbelieves)? Say: "Are those who know equal to those who know not?" It is only men of understanding who will remember (i.e. get a lesson from Allah’s Signs and Verses). (Az-Zumar 39:9)

"O you who believe! When you are told to make room in the assemblies, (spread out and) make room. Allah will give you (ample) room (from His Mercy). And when you are told to rise up (for prayers, Jihad, or for any other good deed), rise up. Allah will exalt in degree those of you who believe and those who have been granted knowledge. And Allah is Well-Acquainted with what you do. (Al-Mujadilah 58:11)

The Quran advises mankind to pray: "Then high above all be Allah, the True King. And be not in haste [O Muhammad (SAW)] with the Quran before its revelation is completed to you, and say: My Lord! Increase me in knowledge." (Ta-Ha 20:114) Qur'an Sura 35 Verse 28 states: Those truly fear Allah, among His Servants, who have knowledge.

In the words of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW): "To seek knowledge is obligatory on every Muslim."(Declared Authentic By Shaikh Muhammad Naasir-ud-Deen Al-Albaani) Muslim here means male and female Muslims, as women are the twin halves of men. The Prophet (SAW) also said: "Whoever follows a way to seek knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a way to paradise." (Declared Authentic By Shaikh Muhammad Naasir-ud-Deen Al-Albaani)

The Right to Go to the Mosque: - The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: "If someone’s wife asks his permission to go to the mosque, he should not deny it to her." Prophet's Hadiths repeatedly emphasizes the acquirement of education and knowledge for every Muslim. For example, one Hadith states that, “Seeking knowledge is a duty of every Muslim, (Ayisha Lemu 1978: 25). Another Hadith states, “Seek knowledge from the cradle to grave." (1978:25). Another Hadith states that, “The Father, if he educates his daughter well, will enter Paradise." Yet another Hadith states that, “A mother is a school. If she is educated, then a whole people are educated"

In early of Islamic history there were many women scholars who had very significant roles in the Islamic world. For example Ayisha, the Prophet's wife was one of the most famous Muslim scholars. Not only was she very intelligent, she had an exceptional memory. That is why she was considered one of the most important sources of Hadith. The Prophet told the Muslims to trust Ayisha's teaching and guidance (Lemu 1978:: 251).

Equality in Preservation of Honor and Nobility :- Women have the same moral obligations and are entitled to the same general rights as men in guarding chastity, integrity and personal honor and respect, etc. No double standards are allowed. (And those who accuse chaste women, and produce not four witnesses, flog them with eighty lashes, and reject their testimony forever. Indeed, they are those who are disobedient to Allah.) [24:4]

The Prophet of Allah (Peace be Upon Him) said: The most complete believer is the best in character, and the best of you is the best to his womenfolk.[Tirmidhi #1162 and verified]

Rights:- 1. The right and duty to obtain education. 2. The right to have their own independent property. 3. The right to work to earn money if they need it or want it. 4. Equality of reward for equal deeds. 5. The right to express their opinion and be heard. 6. The right to provisions from the husband for all her needs 7. The right to negotiate marriage terms of her choice. 8. The right to obtain divorce from her husband, even on the grounds that she simply can't stand him. (pls note that God deeply frowns upon divorce as a solution unless there is hardly any other alternative but it does not mean that men have more right to divorce their wives than women do.) 9. The right to keep all her own money 10. Custody of their children after divorce. 11. A Muslim woman is not permitted to change her family name to her husband’s name upon marriage. She is always known by her father’s name, as a mark of her own identity And more...

Why Men’s Rights Activists are Celebrating the Brian Banks Case for the Wrong Reason

At age 17, high school football player Brian Banks was wrongfully convicted of rape. He spent five years in prison but was exonerated in May 2012. Last week, Banks signed with the Atlanta Falcons, and the country rejoiced.

Not surprisingly, some men’s rights activists are hailing this as a victory for their cause. They shouldn’t be. They’re right that Banks’s exoneration, and his new career, are good news, but the Banks case is not an example of a victory for men everywhere (when, when will there finally be a victory for men?!). Rather, it’s a rare instance of our justice system eventually doing right by the wrongfully convicted.

Cases like Banks’s, in which a person is wrongfully convicted and later exonerated, are the exception, not the rule. While it’s next to impossible to calculate the exact number of innocent people in prison, we know this: there are a lot. Some people are never exonerated. Those that are exonerated are left to fend for themselves after years in prison, and without any resources or support system. If men’s rights activists are as incensed as they claim to be about our broken justice system, where is their anger at cases like the West Memphis Three, which left three innocent men in prison for decades? A search for “Brian Banks” on Reddit’s “men’s rights” subforum turns up a seemingly never-ending list of results. A search for “West Memphis”  yields one result.

Men’s rights activists are also stuck on the question of what should happen to Wanetta Gibson, the then-15-year-old girl who accused Banks. I have no idea what was going through Gibson’s mind when she did this, and I’m not saying she was in the right. She did a terrible thing. But who owes us more: a private citizen, or our judiciary system? Clearly, the latter, whose very job it is to make sure that justice prevails in our society. So why aren’t men’s rights advocates demanding accountability from the system that pressured Banks into taking a plea bargain? Banks reports that his lawyer advised him to take the plea deal because jurors would see him as a “big black teenager,” and assume his guilt. You heard that right: Banks’s lawyer told him that a plea bargain was his best option because jurors assume black people are guilty.

Obviously, the questions at hand are much more complex than, “What should we do to punish accusers?” We’re dealing with a complex, deeply entrenched web of systemic racism and classism. Indeed, Gibson lied, and that’s a terrible thing, and I have no idea why she did that. No one is excusing her actions. But a primary function of our justice system is to determine when an accuser is being truthful and when they are not. Fifteen-year-olds are idiots, and our justice system should be smarter than they are. Gibson accused Banks of a crime, and there was no evidence to support her claim. Yet, Banks, like 95 percent of defendants in the US, was advised by his lawyer to take a plea bargain.

Accepting a plea bargain means that the defendant pleads guilty to certain charges—essentially forfeiting their right to a jury trial—in exchange for a more lenient sentence. In other words, if they opt to go to trial, their constitutional right, they will likely be punished with a harsher sentence. The Innocence Project estimates that some 95 percent of US cases are resolved by plea bargain. Who are the defendants taking the plea bargains? They’re usually “poor, uneducated, [and] a minority member.” Faced with the choice between a plea deal or the prospect of decades of prison time, it’s understandable why a defendant would opt for the former. Unfortunately, in many cases, a plea bargain is their best bet.

I’m no big-city math guy, but these numbers are terrible. Plea bargains, at least in their present form, are no solution to anything. They’re a loophole for getting around the right to trial by jury, and they’re a leading cause of wrongful conviction. Yet they are a mainstay of our legal system and continue to affect minorities, the poor, and, as men’s rights advocates should know, men.

Brian Banks was exonerated while still young, and he’s already on his way to a budding career. That is exactly how it should work out for the wrongfully convicted. We should celebrate the turnout of Banks case, and then we should ask what we can do to make stories like his less of a rarity.

Women’s Rights Quotations (Quotes) & Famous Words

“More countries have understood that women's equality is a prerequisite for development,” by Kofi Annan, Seventh secretary-general of the United Nations, 2001 Nobel Peace Prize.

“Never underestimate the power of a woman,” by Nellie McClung (Important figure in women getting to vote in the USA).

“Never underestimate a man’s ability to underestimate a woman,” Kathleen Turner from the movie V.I. Warshawski.

“Prejudice is the child of ignorance,” William Hazlitt.

“The only way for a woman, as for a man, to find herself, to know herself as a person, is by creative work of her own. There is no other way,” by Betty Friedan.

“I do not wish [women] to have power over men; but over themselves,” by Mary Wollstonecraft.

“You don't have to be anti-man to be pro-woman,” by Jane Galvin Lewis.

“Scratch most feminists and underneath there is a woman who longs to be a sex object.  The difference is that is not all she wants to be,” Betty Rollin.

“With age come the inner, the higher life. Who would be forever young, to dwell always in externals?” by Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

"There's a special place in hell for women who don't help other women!" Madelyn Albright.

"There's a special place in hell for men who abuse women," Eric Gondwe.

“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves,” by Abraham Lincoln,  (1809 - 1865), 16th US president (in reference to slavery, but quote is also applicable to women’s rights).

“There is a growing strength in women but it's in the forehead, not the forearm,” Beverly Sills.

"I have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is. I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat,” Rebecca West, 1913.

“Strengthen the female mind by enlarging it, and there will be an end to blind obedience,” by Mary Wollstonecraft.

“Everybody counts in applying democracy. And there will never be a true democracy until every responsible and law-abiding adult in it, without regard to race, sex, color or creed has his or her own inalienable and unpurchasable voice in government,” by Carrie Chapman Catt.

“We have to free half of the human race, the women, so that they can help to free the other half,” by Emmeline Pankhurst.

“It is not gender which is destroying our culture.... it is our interpretations of culture which has destroyed gender equality,” by Cambodian civil society group.

“The test for whether or not you can hold a job should not be the arrangement of your chromosomes,” by Bella Abzug.

“If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it,” by Margaret Fuller.

“The dogma of woman's complete historical subjection to men must be rated as one of the most fantastic myths ever created by the human mind,” by Mary Ritter Beard (1876-1958).

“Gender inequality, which remains pervasive worldwide, tends to lower the productivity of labour and the efficiency of labour allocation in households and the economy, intensifying the unequal distribution of resources. It also contributes to the non-monetary aspects of poverty – lack of security, opportunity and empowerment – that lower the quality of life for both men and women. While women and girls bear the largest and most direct costs of these inequalities, the costs cut broadly across society, ultimately hindering development and poverty reduction,” by Gender and Development Group -World Bank, from the report "Gender Equality and the Millennium Development Goals" (2003).

“When women thrive, all of society benefits, and succeeding generations are given a better start in life,” by Kofi Annan.

"Male and female citizens, being equal in the eyes of the law, must be equally admitted to all honors, positions, and public employment according to their capacity and without other distinctions besides those of their virtues and talents,” by Olympe de Gouges.

“It would be ridiculous to talk of male and female atmospheres, male and female springs or rains, male and female sunshine....How much more ridiculous is it in relation to mind, to soul, to thought, where there is as undeniably no such thing as sex...” by Elizabeth Cady Stanton

"Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate or despise, serves to defeat us in the end. What seems nasty, painful, evil, can become a source of beauty, joy, and strength, if faced with an open mind,” by Rigoberta Menchú Tum (1959-), Guatemalan social reformer, Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

“The education and empowerment of women throughout the world cannot fail to result in a more caring, tolerant, just and peaceful life for all,” by Aung San Suu Kyi (1945 - ), Daw Burmese-Myanmarese dissident and politician; Leader of National League for Democracy, Nobel Peace Prize laureate

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God," Matthew 5:9.

“This is no simple reform. It really is a revolution. Sex and race because they are easy and visible differences have been the primary ways of organizing human beings into superior and inferior groups and into the cheap labour in which this system still depends. We are talking about a society in which there will be no roles other than those chosen or those earned. We are really talking about humanism,” by Gloria Steinem.

“Cautious, careful people always casting about to preserve their reputation or social standards never can bring about reform. Those who are really in earnest are willing to be anything or nothing in the world's estimation, and publicly and privately, in season and out, avow their sympathies with despised ideas and their advocates, and bear the consequences,” by Susan B. Anthony.

“Taught from infancy that beauty is woman's scepter, the mind shapes itself to the body, and roaming round its gilt cage, only seeks to adorn its prison,” by Mary Wollstonecraft.

“Women have been taught that, for us, the earth is flat, and that if we venture out, we will fall off the edge,” by Unknown Author.

“It's hard to fight an enemy who has outposts in your head,” by Sally Kempton, Esquire, 1970.

“Feminism directly confronts the idea that one person or set of people [has] the right to impose definitions of reality on others,” by Liz Stanley and Sue Wise.

“Men define intelligence, men define usefulness, men tell us what is beautiful, men even tell us what is womanly,” by Sally Kempton.

“The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, "It's a girl,” by Shirley Chisholm.

“Women are not inherently passive or peaceful.  We're not inherently anything but human,” by Robin Morgan.

“I'm just a person trapped inside a woman's body,” by Elaine Boosler.

“Women's chains have been forged by men, not by anatomy,” by Estelle R. Ramey.

Jesus was such an opponent of traditions that had nothing to do with the scripture. “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions,” Mark 7:9.

“Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths,” by Lois Wyse.

“Whether women are better than men I cannot say - but I can say they are certainly no worse,” by Golda Meir.

“I am working for the time when unqualified blacks, browns, and women join the unqualified (white) men in running our government,” by Cissy Farenthold.

Women's Rights Quotes

* Women will not simply be mainstreamed into the polluted stream. Women are changing the stream, making it clean and green and safe for all -- every gender, race, creed, sexual orientation, age, and ability. -- Bella Abzug The test for whether or not you can hold a job should not be the arrangement of your chromosomes. -- -- Bella Abzug

* If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation. -- Abigail Adams “If we mean to have heroes, statesmen and philosophers, we should have learned women.” -- Abigail Adams

* The connection between women's human rights, gender equality, socioeconomic development and peace is increasingly apparent. -- Mahnaz Afkhami Women's empowerment is intertwined with respect for human rights. -- Mahnaz Afkhami

Even though they make up half the population, women and girls have endured discrimination in most societies for thousands of years. In the past, women were treated as property of their husbands or fathers - they couldn't own land, they couldn't vote or go to school, and were subject to beatings and abuse and could do nothing about it. Over the last hundred years, much progress has been made to gain equal rights for women around the world, but many still live without the rights to which all people are entitled. -- Robert Alan Silverstein

"You ask whether a woman should be paid the same wages as man when she does the same work? To this, there can be but one answer. If she does the same quantity and quality of work under the same conditions as a man, simple justice requires that she should be paid the same. wages. To deny her this is to deny her justice." -- John Peter Altgeld

* We were idealists. We thought that when we got the vote the whole pattern of politics would be greatly improved and would be dominated by women. -- Jessie Daniel Ames While women's suffrage has not brought about the political millennium which its fondest backers predicted, its effects on the whole have been decidely beneficial. -- Jessie Daniel Ames

Equal pay for women is a matter of simple justice. -- Mary Anderson

* “How important it is to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes.” -- Maya Angelou

"…gender equality is critical to the development and peace of every nation." -- Kofi Annan "…there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women." -- Kofi Annan "women themselves have the right to live in dignity, in freedom from want and freedom from fear. On this International Women's Day, let us rededicate ourselves to making that a reality. -- Kofi Annan When women thrive, all of society benefits, and succeeding generations are given a better start in life. -- Kofi Annan

* "The day will come when men will recognize woman as his peer, not only at the fireside, but in councils of the nation. Then, and not until then, will there be the perfect comradeship, the ideal union between the sexes that shall result in the highest development of the race." -- Susan B. Anthony * "Cautious, careful people always casting about to preserve their reputation or social standards never can bring about reform.

"Cautious, careful people always casting about to preserve their reputation or social standards never can bring about reform. Those who are really in earnest are willing to be anything or nothing in the world's estimation, and publicly and privately, in season and out, avow their sympathies with despised ideas and their advocates, and bear the consequences."
-- Susan B. Anthony

"Independence is happiness." -- Susan B. Anthony

"There never will be complete equality until women themselves help to make laws and elect lawmakers." -- Susan B. Anthony

"I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself and there I take my stand." -- Susan B. Anthony

* Instead of getting hard ourselves and trying to compete, women should try and give their best qualities to men - bring them softness, teach them how to cry. --Joan Baez

* "This is your life!!! The children/husbands/lovers are just one chapter. The stronger we (women) get the more loving we can be- to all." -- Cynthia Basinet

"The dogma of woman's complete historical subjection to men must be rated as one of the most fantastic myths ever created by the human mind."
-- Mary Ritter Beard (1876-1958),

"For what is done or learned by one class of women becomes, by virtue of their common womanhood, the property of all women."
-- Elizabeth Blackwell (The first woman in the U.S. to become a physician)

"If society will not admit of woman's free development, then society must be remodeled."
-- Elizabeth Blackwell

* It will not do to say that it is out of woman's sphere to assist in making laws, for if that were so, then it should be also out of her sphere to submit to them. -- Amelia Bloomer

* “We are unalterably opposed to the presentation of the female body being stripped, bound, raped, tortured, mutilated, and murdered in the name of commercial entertainment and free speech” -- Susan Brownmiller

* “We are asking people to understand that slavery still exists today; in fact, according to a recent New York Times article, if you count the number of women and children in bonded labor, domestic slavery or sexual slavery today, there are more slaves in the world than at any other time in history.” -- Charlotte Bunch * “Feminism is a transformational force, an individual and social force. It is a way of looking at the world–a questioning of power/domination issues, an affirmation of women’s energy.” -- Charlotte Bunch

* Sexual, racial, gender violence and other forms of discrimination and violence in a culture cannot be eliminated without changing culture.
-- Charlotte Bunch

“We have to start looking at the world through women’s eyes’ how are human rights, peace and development defined from the perspective of the lives of women? It’s also important to look at the world from the perspective of the lives of diverse women, because there is not single women’s view, any more than there is a single men’s view.”
-- Charlotte Bunch

Feminism is an entire world view or gestalt, not just a laundry list of women's issues.
-- Charlotte Bunch

“The state of the world today demands that women become less modest and dream/plan/act/risk on a larger scale.”
-- Charlotte Bunch

Women have a lot to say about how to advance women's rights, and governments need to learn from that, listen to the movement and respond.”
-- Charlotte Bunch

* Everybody counts in applying democracy. And there will never be a true democracy until every responsible and law-abiding adult in it, without regard to race, sex, color or creed has his or her own inalienable and unpurchasable voice in government. -- Carrie Chapman Catt

Remember our heritage is our power; we can know ourselves and our capacities by seeing that other women have been strong.
-- Judy Chicago

* The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, "It's a girl." -- Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm

"Educate a man and you educate an individual. Educate a woman and you educate a family."
-- A.Cripps

"We ask justice, we ask equality, we ask that all the civil and political rights that belong to citizens of the United States, be guaranteed to us and our daughters forever."
-- Declaration of Rights for Women, July 1876

My idea of feminism is self-determination, and it's very open-ended: every woman has the right to become herself, and do whatever she needs to do. -- Ani DiFranco * I have something to prove, as long as I know there's something that needs improvement, and you know that everytime I move, I make a woman's movement. -- Ani DiFranco

* The young women of today, free to study, to speak, to write, to choose their occupation, should remember that every inch of this freedom was bought for them at a great price. It is for them to show their gratitude by helping onward the reforms of their own times, by spreading the light of freedom and of truth still wider. The debt that each generation owes to the past it must pay to the future. -- Abigail Duniway

When women's true history shall have been written, her part in the upbuilding of this nation will astound the world.
-- Abigail Duniway

* We need a kind of feminism that aims not just to assimilate into the institutions that men have created over the centuries, but to infiltrate and subvert them. -- Barbara Ehrenreich What we need is a tough new kind of feminism with no illusions. Women do not change institutions simply by assimilating into them. We need a feminism that teaches a woman to say no - not just to the date rapist or overly insistent boyfriend but, when necessary, to the military or corporate hierarchy within which she finds herself. We need a kind of feminism that aims not just to assimilate into the institutions that men have created over the centuries, but to infiltrate and subvert them. -- Barbara Ehrenreich

* "...gender relationships, which are tough for people to deal with, are key to whether a society orients to domination or partnership in all its relations." -- Riane Eisler "For most of recorded history, parental violence against children and men's violence against wives was explicitly or implicitly condoned. Those who had the power to prevent and/or punish this violence through religion, law, or custom, openly or tacitly approved it. …..The reason violence against women and children is finally out in the open is that activists have brought it to global attention." -- Riane Eisler

"We've chosen the path to equality, don't let them turn us around."
-- Geraldine Ferraro (The first woman to be nominated as Vice President of the United States)

* "Adult women, all of us, have to come to grips with how we have been affected by gender norms, and how we have been silenced. We have to help our daughters. Understanding it within ourselves and helping our young girls stand up for themselves is one way." -- Jane Fonda * "If you can intervene early in the lives of girls here and in other parts of the world, you can begin to change the prospects for the future." -- Jane Fonda

But the whole point of liberation is that you get out. Restructure your life. Act by yourself.
-- Jane Fonda

The extension of women's rights is the basic principle of all social progress.
-- Charles Fourier

Men are not the enemy, but the fellow victims. The real enemy is women's denigration of themselves. -- Betty Friedan * The only way for a woman, as for a man, to find herself, to know herself as a person, is by creative work of her own. There is no other way. -- Betty Friedan

A girl should not expect special privileges because of her sex but neither should she adjust to prejudice and discrimination.
-- Betty Friedan

* "If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it." -- Margaret Fuller

... being a feminist means that you believe in civil rights and social justice. -- Janeane Garofalo

* "Women's rights are an essential part of the overall human rights agenda, trained on the equal dignity and ability to live in freedom all people should enjoy." -- Ruth Bader Ginsburg Every constitution written since the end of World War II includes a provision that men and women are citizens of equal stature. Ours does not. -- Ruth Bader Ginsburg * Women will only have true equality when men share with them the responsibility of bringing up the next generation. -- Ruth Bader Ginsburg

My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.
-- Ruth Bader Ginsburg

It is not women's liberation, it is women's and men's liberation.
-- Ruth Bader Ginsburg

“The state controlling a woman would mean denying her full autonomy and full equality.”
-- Ruth Bader Ginsburg

The emphasis must be not on the right to abortion but on the right to privacy and reproductive control.
-- Ruth Bader Ginsburg

I do think that being the second [female Supreme Court Justice] is wonderful, because it is a sign that being a woman in a place of importance is no longer extraordinary.
-- Ruth Bader Ginsburg

* "Male and female citizens, being equal in the eyes of the law, must be equally admitted to all honors, positions, and public employment according to their capacity and without other distinctions besides those of their virtues and talents." -- Olympe de Gouges

* “It is truly a privilege to be able to support all women's causes on a global level. It is remarkable that something as simple as television can empower us to create change and awareness in the world. I am blessed to be able to work at a job I love and also give back in the most vital way--to people in need.” -- Teri Hatcher

* “I've always been a big believer in equality. No one has ever been able to tell me I couldn't do something because I was a girl.” -- Anne Hathaway

* "When I see the elaborate study and ingenuity displayed by women in the pursuit of trifles, I feel no doubt of their capacity for the most herculean undertakings. -- Julia Ward Howe

* "Full democracy requires the full participation of women. Your voices are vital. The word 'vital' means necessary for life. A democracy, to be fully alive, must include all its citizens." -- Swanee Hunt

women are the victims of war... as widows they've faced the trauma of being single parents and livelihoods of families are affected. A lot of gender-related problems come up in terms of health, education, domestic violence, etc. -- Kumari Jayawardena * Today women in many countries are taking part in various types of movements of protest, some of which are serious struggles for economic and social emancipation . -- Kumari Jayawardena

* "Across the world women are joining hands in solidarity and support, in a global women’s movement, sharing knowledge and experience and empowering themselves to build a peaceful and fairer world." -- Marilee Karl

* Every day we hear about the dangers of cancer, heart disease and AIDS. But how many of us realize that, in much of the world, the act of giving life to a child is still the biggest killer of women of child-bearing age? -- Liya Kebede * The message of our campaign is "Make every mother and child count". This campaign is not just about health. It is also a powerful call for radical progress in women's rights and the rights of their children. Too often, the health of mothers and children does not count. In too many parts of the world, they are forgotten. -- Liya Kebede

* I think it's important for me as an actor that I say these are the issues I'm going to be committed to. One of them for me is women and children's health around the world and their rights;the other is ovarian cancer. -- Nicole Kidman * As a Goodwill Ambassador for UNIFEM, I’ve learned that violence against women knows no boundaries. Join me in helping women worldwide who have suffered unthinkable violence. -- Nicole Kidman * Violence against women is an appalling human rights violation. But it is not inevitable. We can put a stop to this. -- Nicole Kidman

“One in three women may suffer from abuse and violence in her lifetime. This is an appalling human rights violation, yet it remains one of the invisible and under-recognized pandemics of our time.”
-- Nicole Kidman

I’m especially interested in helping to give visibility to the pandemic of violence against women
-- Nicole Kidman

“I know we can't abolish prejudice through laws, but we can set up guidelines for our actions by legislation.” -- Belva Ann Lockwood * “I do not believe in sex distinction in literature, law, politics, or trade - or that modesty and virtue are more becoming to women than to men, but wish we had more of it everywhere.” -- Belva Ann Lockwood

* “Prior to my election, young Cherokee girls would never have thought that they might grow up and become chief.” -- Wilma Mankiller

* Because of their agelong training in human relations-for that is what feminine intuition really is-women have a special contribution to make to any group enterprise. -- Margaret Mead It has been a woman's task throughout history to go on believing in life when there was almost no hope. -- Margaret Mead Every time we liberate a woman, we liberate a man. -- Margaret Mead

* The world has never yet seen a truly great and virtuous nation, because in the degradation of women, the very fountains of life are poisoned at their source. -- Lucretia Mott

History looks different when the contributions of women are included.
~ National Women's History Project

* In less than a century we experienced great movement. The youth movement! The labor movement! The civil rights movement! The peace movement! The solidarity movement! The women's movement! The disability movement! The disarmament movement! The gay rights movement! The environmental movement! Movement! Transformation! Is there any reason to believe we are done? -- Holly Near

* We have to free half of the human race, the women, so that they can help to free the other half --Emmeline Pankhurst

...the Government must not think that they can stop this agitation. It will go on...We are here not because we are law-breakers; we are here in out efforts to become law-makers.
--Emmeline Pankhurst

What is the use of fighting for a vote if we have not got a country to vote in?
--Emmeline Pankhurst

* I never doubted that equal rights was the right direction. Most reforms, most problems are complicated. But to me there is nothing complicated about ordinary equality. -- Alice Paul I always feel the movement is a sort of mosaic...Each of us puts in one little stone, and then you get a great mosaic at the end. -- Alice Paul There will never be a new world order until women are a part of it. -- Alice Paul

"What exactly is success? For me it is to be found not in applause, but in the satisfaction of feeling that one is realizing one’s ideal."
-- Anna Pavlova (1881-1931)

* “The only way to solve the problem of women’s subordination is to change people’s mindset and to plant the new idea of gender equality into every mind.” -- Qingrong Ma

* "If the world was taking care of women, women would take care of the world." -- Jane Roberts, Co-Founder, 34 Million Friends of UNPF

There is no reason against woman's elevation, but prejudices. -- Ernestine Rose For here lies the corner stone of all the injustices done woman, the wrong idea from which all other wrongs proceed. She is not acknowledged as mistress of herself. For her cradle to her grave she is another's. We do indeed need and demand the other rights of which I have spoken, but let us first obtain OURSELVES." -- Ernestine Rose

* But remember that if the struggle were to resort to violence, it will lose vision, beauty and imagination. Most dangerous of all, it will marginalize and eventually victimize women. And a political struggle that does not have women at the heart of it, above it, below it, and within it is no struggle at all. -- Arundhati Roy * ...a political struggle that does not have women at the heart of it, above it, below it, and within it is no struggle at all. -- Arundhati Roy

* Ordinary people like you and me have the chance to make a tremendous difference for mothers and their children worldwide -- Meg Ryan

* "It will be great when it's not such a big deal when a woman gets a good job." -- Susan Sarandon

"I was told Indian women don't think like that about equality. But I would like to argue that if they don't think like that they should be given a real opportunity to think like that." -- Amartya Sen

* Women’s voices help balance out the male energy. Until we do that, we are not going to have peace in the world. -- Barbara Simmons

"The women of this country ought be enlightened in regard to the laws under which they live, that they may no longer publish their degradation by declaring themselves satisfied with their present position, nor their ignorance, by asserting that they have all the rights they want." -- Elizabeth Cady Stanton I would have girls regard themselves not as adjectives but as nouns. -- Elizabeth Cady Stanton * We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men and women are created equal. -- Elizabeth Cady Stanton

* This is no simple reform. It really is a revolution. Sex and race because they are easy and visible differences have been the primary ways of organizing human beings into superior and inferior groups and into the cheap labour in which this system still depends. We are talking about a society in which there will be no roles other than those chosen or those earned. We are really talking about humanism. -- Gloria Steinem

However sugarcoated and ambiguous, every form of authoritarianism must start with a belief in some group's greater right to power, whether that right is justified by sex, race, class, religion, or all four. However far it may expand, the progression inevitably rests on unequal power and airtight roles within the family.
-- Gloria Steinem

* “I think, with never-ending gratitude, that the young women of today do not and can never know at what price their right to free speech and to speak at all in public has been earned.” -- Lucy Stone

* "Women are the real architects of society." -- Harriet Beecher Stowe

* I am also very proud to be a liberal. Why is that so terrible these days? The liberals were liberators—they fought slavery, fought for women to have the right to vote, fought against Hitler, Stalin, fought to end segregation, fought to end apartheid. Liberals put an end to child labor and they gave us the five day work week! What's to be ashamed of?" -- Barbra Streisand

One of the things about equality is not just that you be treated equally to a man, but that you treat yourself equally to the way you treat a man. -- Marlo Thomas

* "If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back and get it right side up again." -- Sojourner Truth (c. 1797­1883)

* "I am dedicated to ensuring reproductive health and freedom for all." -- Kathleen Turner "I am dedicated to ensuring reproductive health and freedom for all. Please join me in supporting Planned Parenthood's vital work to protect access to reproductive health care and real sex education worldwide." -- Kathleen Turner This is not about abortion or the antics. This is about pro choice versus anti-choice and government intervention in a woman's personal decisions about her life. -- Kathleen Turner

* “We women have the same capacity and potential for power to allow us to be participants in our own destiny.” ~ Rafaela vos Obeso

“We women have presented an alternative proposal to society and to humanity. It is about the construction of a world where tolerance is a life style; Where daily social and political divergences and its resolutions would be seen as part of humanity; Where equality would be possible in all its dimensions; Where knowledge and access to education and other social possessions would not be the privilege of a few; A world where violence in all its forms would be past history, where fear will not overwhelm us and where we shall be able to enjoy the goodness of existence.”
~ Rafaela vos Obeso

* The task of organizing human happiness needs the active cooperation of man and woman. It cannot be relegated to one half of the world. -- Lillian Wald

* Democratic principles are the result of equality of condition. -- Mercy Otis Warren

* "You cannot have peace without human rights, democracy, gender equality, and clean water. Look to the root causes of war and you will find, in their reverse, the root foundations of peace." -- Cora Weiss

"I have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is. I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat"
-- Rebecca West, 1913

* I do not wish [women] to have power over men; but over themselves. -- Mary Wollstonecraft Let not men then in the pride of power, use the same arguments that tyrannic kings and venal ministers have used, and fallaciously assert that women ought to be subjected because she has always been so.... It is time to effect a revolution in female manners -- time to restore to them their lost dignity.... It is time to separate unchangeable morals from local manners. -- Mary Wollstonecraft

Taught from infancy that beauty is woman's scepter, the mind shapes itself to the body, and roaming round its gilt cage, only seeks to adorn its prison.
-- Mary Wollstonecraft

Strengthen the female mind by enlarging it, and there will be an end to blind obedience.
-- Mary Wollstonecraft

* The uses of government should be to foster, protect and promote the possession of equality. -- Victoria Woodhull I ask the rights to pursue happiness by having a voice in that government to which I am accountable. -- Victoria Woodhull

The failure of women to have reached positions of leadership has been due in large part to social and professional discrimination. -- Rosalyn Yalow