A Look at the Women's Rights Movement
Kristen Mott
Issue date: 11/9/09 Section: News
The Cleveland-Marshall College of Law has hosted a variety of speakers over the years. This past week, the emphasis was on women's rights and its impact on cities. The 2009 Joseph C. Hostetler-Baker visiting professor of law was Daphne Spain, who presented a lecture entitled "Women's Rights and the Shaping of the Postwar Metropolis."
Spain is the University of Virginia's James M. Page professor and chair of the department of urban and environmental planning. She is passionate about the progress of women in society and how their struggle for equality has shaped the home and urban areas. She has published numerous books and articles about the topic and continues to speak on this issue.
The event received a wide turnout, largely CSU professors and staff. The Hostetler-Baker group, which provides funding and scholarships to the law school, worked for two years to make the program possible. Spain spoke on a variety of topics, including the feminist movement, equal rights, and the effect on cities. Her goal for the lecture was to "educate students on what feminists were working towards and remind adults about events that took place."
One of the themes throughout the presentation was the idea that all social movements have an impact on the cities and spaces around them. The main focus of the lecture was on gendered spaces, which are places made by and for women. Examples of gendered spaces include women's health clinics, domestic violence shelters and feminist book stores. According to Spain, "[the feminist movement] created spaces that legitimatized rights and solidified them in urban landscapes, while helping women establish independent identities." These spaces, which became widespread in the 1970s, provided a sense of security and community for women.
A second topic heavily focused on was the progression of women's rights throughout the feminist movement and in society today. Prior to the social movement, women were expected to cook, sew and take care of the household. As women began to gain more rights, however, their roles drastically changed. Following World War I, only 35 percent of women were in the work force, compared to today's standard of over 60 percent. The invention of birth control and the development of Planned Parenthood granted women reproductive rights. Additionally, the Domestic Violence Act guaranteed women protection against assault and abuse. These rights opened up new opportunities for women and the push for equality continues today.
Spain spoke avidly on this topic and shared her breadth of knowledge with the audience. Her presentation showed that the feminist movement had a greater impact on urban areas and society than we often realize. From the event, she hoped that everyone "would see in a new light how these spaces were directly and indirectly affected by the feminist movement and the rights they ensured."
Spain is the University of Virginia's James M. Page professor and chair of the department of urban and environmental planning. She is passionate about the progress of women in society and how their struggle for equality has shaped the home and urban areas. She has published numerous books and articles about the topic and continues to speak on this issue.
The event received a wide turnout, largely CSU professors and staff. The Hostetler-Baker group, which provides funding and scholarships to the law school, worked for two years to make the program possible. Spain spoke on a variety of topics, including the feminist movement, equal rights, and the effect on cities. Her goal for the lecture was to "educate students on what feminists were working towards and remind adults about events that took place."
One of the themes throughout the presentation was the idea that all social movements have an impact on the cities and spaces around them. The main focus of the lecture was on gendered spaces, which are places made by and for women. Examples of gendered spaces include women's health clinics, domestic violence shelters and feminist book stores. According to Spain, "[the feminist movement] created spaces that legitimatized rights and solidified them in urban landscapes, while helping women establish independent identities." These spaces, which became widespread in the 1970s, provided a sense of security and community for women.
A second topic heavily focused on was the progression of women's rights throughout the feminist movement and in society today. Prior to the social movement, women were expected to cook, sew and take care of the household. As women began to gain more rights, however, their roles drastically changed. Following World War I, only 35 percent of women were in the work force, compared to today's standard of over 60 percent. The invention of birth control and the development of Planned Parenthood granted women reproductive rights. Additionally, the Domestic Violence Act guaranteed women protection against assault and abuse. These rights opened up new opportunities for women and the push for equality continues today.
Spain spoke avidly on this topic and shared her breadth of knowledge with the audience. Her presentation showed that the feminist movement had a greater impact on urban areas and society than we often realize. From the event, she hoped that everyone "would see in a new light how these spaces were directly and indirectly affected by the feminist movement and the rights they ensured."
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