Women's Rights

Women's Rights. . The equality of Haudenosaunee women was assured from the foundation of the Confederacy. The first person to accept the Peacemaker's message was a woman, Jikonhsaseh. She secured the rights, responsibilities, and roles Haudenosaunee women continue to enjoy. Matrilineal heritage in Haudenosaunee society, where clan and nation are inhereted through mothers, establishes great respect for women's contributions to society. , The freedom of Haudenosaunee women and the power they wielded in their political life influenced the women's sufferage movement through leaders such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Matilda Joslyn Gage, and Lucretia Mott. Their personal relationships with people from the Haudenosaunee nation were a great inspiration to them in their sufferage campaign. , A Balance of Power , Haudenosaunee women and men have complimentary roles. By sharing and checking one another's responsibilities, the clan mother and the chief achieve a balance of power. Through their entwined civil roles, they work to preserve peace for the clan, the nation, and ultimately for the Confederacy of the Six Nations.