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20th Century Gender Roles

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Society today is an evolved version of past societies. In the past, gender roles have played a large part in societies. Throughout history, there have only been two genders acknowledged: man and woman. In the 20th century, men often went to work; as they were considered to be the principle providers within families. It was the visualization portrayed by media and society in the 19th and 20th century that portrayed women as individuals who should not be working, but rather at home taking care of the family. The evolution of women in the workforce started as early as 1865, peaking through the first and second World Wars, and still continues to strive around us today. Women around the world have gone through various struggles and tests, in an effort to prove their capability of being active members of the labour/work-force around us. Women were often deemed as ‘workers of the kitchen’, ‘house-wives’, ‘caretakers’, etcetera. This ideology started to shift as a greater number of women started to enter the workforce after the civil war. Modern day history has benefitted from having equal rights and opportunity for all. With this ideology at hand, …show more content…

The gender wage gap exists today, and it is a large contributing factor to women’s poverty. Lauren Ravon, director of policy and campaigns for Oxfam says, “This (gender wage gap) is an area where it can really make a difference in women’s lives. If we’re not tackling issues of access to work and poverty, it’s very hard to make progress on other fronts for women.” It is important that we shape society in a way that will be beneficial for generations to come. Creating inclusive work environments is incredibly important, especially in an effort to encourage young women to enter primarily male-dominated work

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