In 1846, Susan B. Anthony started working as the head of the girl’s department at Canajoharie Academy.  She worked for two years and earned $110 per year.

At that time, she was not yet an advocate for women’s right to vote. Her work at the academy gave her the opportunity to see the large discrepancy between what women teachers were earning and what men teachers earned. As soon as she realized that the men were earning more than twice the women’s salaries, she became an activist for equal pay for equal work.

When Anthony attended the New York State Teachers Association conference in Rochester in 1853, she became a pioneer in challenging men in power.

There were five hundred teachers at the conference and two-thirds of them were women. The women were not allowed to actually participate in the conference. All of the women were relegated to the back of the hall to observe the proceedings that the men controlled.

After two days of silent listening, and during a discussion among the men about why men in the teaching profession were not as respected as men who were lawyers, doctors or ministers, Anthony stood up……and spoke loudly to the entire assembly:

“I wish to speak to the question under discussion.”

It was a brazen move, and the first time in history that a woman’s voice was heard at any teacher’s convention.

A commotion rose up in the hall.

Finally, after vigorous arguing and many loud male voices were heard, a motion was made to allow Anthony to speak.

Then, anther half-hour discussion followed the motion.  The men were deciding if the motion was even worthy of a vote.

Finally, a vote of all the men in the room was taken, and, by a small majority, the men had decided that a woman would be allowed to speak.

Anthony rose to speak again.  She said:

“It seems to me you fail to comprehend the cause of the disrespect of which you complain. Do you not see that so long as society says women has not brains to be a doctor, lawyer, or minister, but has plenty to be a teacher, every man who condescends to teach, tacitly admits……that he has no more brains than a woman?”

In short order, the convention was adjourned for the day, and on the way out of the hall, some women were heard to exclaim: “Did you ever see such a disgraceful performance?” and “I never was so ashamed of my sex.”

Still, a few women gathered around Anthony and said: “You have taught us our lesson, and hereafter we propose to make our voices heard.”

Six years later, at the New York state teacher’s convention in 1859, Anthony called for women to assume committee positions in the state education organizations and to have a voice in the profession.  In 1868, as a delegate to the National Labor Congress, Antony persuaded the Committee on Female Labor to call for votes for women and equal pay for equal work, but the men at the conference deleted the reference from the final proposal that went to a vote.