How Movements Win: Gendered Opportunity Structures and U.S. Women's Suffrage Movements, 1866 to 1919

TLDR

The study investigates state women's suffrage movements to illuminate how social movements bring about political change. The authors argue that, alongside resource mobilization, cultural framing, and political opportunity structures, gendered opportunities fostered the movements' successes. Event‑history analysis shows that gendered opportunity structures helped suffragists win significant voting rights in 29 states before the Nineteenth Amendment, indicating that a broader understanding of opportunity structure beyond formal political opportunities is required.

Abstract

State women's suffrage movements are investigated to illuminate the circumstances in which social movements bring about political change. In 29 states, suffragists were able to win significant voting rights prior to passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. In addition to resource mobilization, cultural framing, and political opportunity structures, the authors theorize that gendered opportunities also fostered the successes of the movements. An event history analysis provides evidence that gendered opportunity structures helped to bring about the political successes of the suffragists. Results suggest the need for a broader understanding of opportunity structure than one rooted simply in formal political opportunities.