During 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York, a group of women gathered around to discuss their rights. At the end of that meeting there was one thing everyone could agree on– women deserve the right to have their own political identities. Thus began a 100-year fight that would eventually lead to the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote in the United States. Almost 200 years later and women are still struggling to have complete control of their choices, bodies, and lives in general. So we at Lipstick & Politics took the time to list a few of the rights that we believe are indisputable for women.
Right To Reproductive Autonomy:
Women shouldn’t have to fight to be able to control their reproductive choices. Regarding everything from birth control to abortion access, women should be able to decide when, if ever, they want to start a family. No one should be in charge of dictating anything a woman does with her body other than herself. Everyone must respect women and their decisions, whether we agree with those decisions or not.
Right to Love:
Although this right can and should be applied to all genders, it is imperative that this right goes into our list for women. Our society is extremely heteronormative and it is still difficult for many members of the LGBTQ+ community who are women to come out due to this. Often women who are in the LGBTQ+ community are hyper-sexualized, rather than simply accepted for their identities. We should all be able to love who we want, and our sexualities should be recognized as a valid identity in the eyes of the government.
Right To Affordable Menstruation:
Regardless of your economic status, having a period is an expense. For a lot of people, that money is not as disposable as it is for others. On average a woman will spend $400-$2,000 annually just for period products (tampons, period underwear, diva cups, pads, etc.), not including other products, such as medicine, that may be crucial for some women. Our government needs to begin providing more affordable hygiene products by getting rid of the “tampon tax”, which unnecessarily taxes feminine hygiene products by labeling them a “luxury item” vs. a “non-luxury necessity”.
Right To Breastfeed:
As taboo subjects, such as sex and LGBTQ+ rights, become more widely talked about and accepted, breastfeeding is still sadly one of those taboo subjects many people, mostly men, are having a hard time accepting. Breastfeeding is not something any woman should need permission to do, nor is it a choice that should be scrutinized by those around her. We need to stop considering breasts only as sexual objects, because doing so is preventing women from being able to feed their children in public comfortably.
Right To Exist:
Women deserve to live a life of freedom. Free of fear, free of hatred. Women still do not have total control over their own bodies and choices. Women should have the right to live the life that they choose without scrutiny or undue burdens. We should be able to walk down the street without being catcalled, take an interview without fear of sexual harassment, and go to work without worrying about a lack of equal pay. Women should have the right to exist fully, without shame or inequality. Women have been fighting long enough for basic human rights, and it is time that these indisputable rights are cemented and remain unquestionable and inarguable.
What are some other indisputable rights for women? Let us know in the comments!
By: Kerasa Tsokas and Cianna Allen