Women's Struggle for EqualityIn 1848, women began the fight for equal rights with the suffrage movement. In 1920, women celebrated the passage of the 19th Amendment which declared “…women and men deserve all the rights and responsibilities of citizenship” (History.com, 2009). The fight for equal rights did not end with the passage of the 19th Amendment; women were still considered second-class citizens and were not treated equally. Important steps were taken in the 1960s to give all women the same rights as men. The world is changing and the number of women in the workforce is increasing. Women were paid less than their male counterparts and faced sexual harassment in the workplace (Walsh, 2010). Things had to change and this article will review four major events in the fight for women's rights that affect the world we live in today. Esther Peterson, a labor activist, convinced President Kennedy to create a Presidential Commission on the Status of Women whose goal was to create recommendations for achieving equality for women. In February 1963, Ester introduced an equal pay bill to Congress on behalf of the president, and on June 10, 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act. The Equal Pay Act made it illegal to pay women working in the same location less than their male counterparts (National Park Service, 2014). It was the first action taken by the federal government to recognize gender wage differences and helped pave the way for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The following year, Congress passed a new law that would make discrimination based on race, religion and nation. illegal origin. A Democratic senator from Virginia named Howa...... middle of paper ......t-for-womens-suffrageNational Archives and Records Administration. (2014). O'Connor's appointment by Reagan. Retrieved from National Archives and Records Administration: http://www.archives.gov/legislative/features/oconnor.htmlNational Archives and Records Administration. (May 25, 2014). Teaching with Documents: Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Accessed 2014 from the National Archives and Records Administration: http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/civil-rights-act/National Park Service. (May 7, 2014). Equal Pay Act of 1963. Retrieved from the National Park Service: http://www.nps.gov/subjects/civilrights/equal-pay-act-1963.htmWalsh, KT (March 12, 2010). The 1960s: a decade of change for women. Retrieved May 25, 2014 from US News: http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2010/03/12/the-1960s-a-decade-of-change-for-women