Women’s Health: 1917
- Margaret Sanger goes on trial for distributing contraceptives
- Jeanette Rankin elected as first woman member of U.S. Congress
- Women in NY state achieve voting rights for state elections
- Education: 15% high school graduates
- Life span: white women 57 years; non-white 44 years
- Childbirth mortality: 4.3%
Almost 100 years ago, women were jailed for promoting and providing contraceptives, did not have the right to vote in national elections and, in almost all states, could not vote in state elections.
Women were less educated than men; and over 4% of women died as a result of childbirth. Disparities in health outcomes were also evident, with white women living longer than non-white women – a disparity that persists today.