Final answer:
The primary factor that spurred the beginning of the women's rights movement in the mid-1800s was the experience of gender discrimination within reform movements, notably the abolitionist crusade, leading to events like the Seneca Falls Convention.
Step-by-step explanation:
One of the major factors that contributed to the beginning of the women's rights movement in the mid-19th century was the experience of gender discrimination within reform movements, particularly the abolitionist movement. Women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, after facing blatant gender discrimination at abolitionist gatherings, realized the need for a separate movement focused on women's rights. The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 represented a pinnacle moment where these disparities were formally addressed, laying the foundation for future activism surrounding women's suffrage and equality.
While women's increased role in the workforce and the temperance movement also played a part, it was the immediate and direct experience of discrimination and exclusion within social reform movements that ignited the early fight for women's rights. Women were both inspired and constrained by their experiences in the antislavery crusade, realizing their bondage to a societal system that relegated them to subordinate roles. Their contributions to such movements, shaped by the ideology of 'true womanhood', showcased their capacity for public engagement beyond the domestic sphere and undermined the existing gender norms that confined their roles to the home.