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DiscussThe term women’s rights refers to the freedoms inherently possessed by women and girls of all ages, which may be institutionalized, ignored or suppressed by laws, customs, and behaviors in a particular society. [1] These liberties are grouped together and differentiated from broader notions of human rights because they often differ from the freedoms inherently possessed by or recognized for men and boys, and because activism surrounding this issue claims an inherent historical and traditional bias against the exercise of rights by women.
Some of the issues commonly associated with these notions include rights to:
- bodily integrity and autonomy;
- vote (universal suffrage);
- hold public office;
- work;
- fair wages or equal pay;
- own property and to enter into legal contracts;
- education;
- serve in the military; and
- to have marital, parental and religious rights.
Sources
- Hosken, Fran P., 'Towards a Definition of Women's Rights' in Human Rights Quarterly, Vol. 3, No. 2. (May, 1981), pp. 1-10.
- Lockwood, Bert B. (ed.), Women's Rights: A "Human Rights Quarterly" Reader (John Hopkins University Press, 2006), ISBN 9780801883743
- See also: Reproductive Rights
