1890s: The women's movement begins to gain a foothold on American society. However, women still do not have the right to vote, and women's issues were not part of the political platform.

Today: Women have had the right to vote since the passage of the Twenty-second Amendment to the Constitution in 1920.

1890s: According to the law, a married woman's property belonged to her husband, even if she had inherited land before being wed. If she later divorced her husband, the land would still be legally his.

Today: Women have equal legal rights to property, and divorce cases usually conclude with at least half—if not more—of a couple's possessions going to the wife.

1890s: Advice columns for women had their beginning. With the advent of Dorothy Dix's column in 1895, advice co1umns appeared in newspapers and provided a forum for discussion...