How movements win: Gendered opportunity structures and US women's suffragemovements, 1866 to 1919

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