Shelly Shtern
Mrs. Phipps
Period 4
English 12
8 May 2015
Gender Inequality: Improving or Declining? Research Paper
Throughout much of our education of history, women have been treated in one of two ways: looked down upon or completely ignored altogether. They have had very little say in the world, and when women tried to stand up for themselves, they were always pushed back. As Abigail Adams once stated, “...remember the ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies we are determined to foment a Rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation” (Adams, 1776). She wrote to her husband, John Adams, strongly persuading him and the government to not disregard the women who fought for American independence. Her letter was the first step in the battle of equal rights for women. As time went by, the “innate” differences between men and women were proven to not be as innate and unchangeable as previously believed. Despite that earthshaking discovery, the distinction still remains. Gender inequality exists in every single culture and society. There are many different features that result in gender inequality such as sex and gender roles and, “each of these aspects play a significant part when speaking of the different social problems
Up until the early 1900’s, women were seen by society as people with household roles that consisted of cooking, cleaning, and tending their children. As time progressed, the view of women in society gradually changed, but their opinions still did not seem to matter. It wasn’t until 1920, that women gained suffrage with the 19th amendment. This amendment was a huge step in gaining full and equal rights for women, but unfortunately discrimination against them still happens today. There are various different situations in which the issue of gender inequality occurs. Although the law states that everyone has equal opportunities and rights, women are highly discriminated against in everyday roles such as employment, extracurricular activities, military, and in the government.
There are hundreds and thousands of athletes all around the world but the main problem in the athlete world is gender inequality, women are not shown equal as men. They are discriminated in many ways such as pay, employment opportunities, value of women 's sport, media coverage etc. Despite the federal law passed called Title IX that “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination." there is still gender inequality women are considered less than men. No matter what happens people will always have inequality against men and women because of the environment they live in and how they were raised. Women are
As the millenniums pass and years go by, the world continues to evolve each day. Across the world, in every society, men and women have specific roles that they carry out. During ancient times, in most cultures, women were inferior to men. This is still true in many countries today. It has taken American women many centuries to have gained the rights and privileges they have today. Women have made many immense achievements, fought for their rights and stood up for what they believed in during the past century. It is very important to understand the role of women in history because they have played an imperative part of how each society functioned. In Classical Athens, women and men were citizens however men were superior to the women.
Women have been fighting for equality since the early 1700’s. Abigail Adams was one of the first advocates to bring up the topic in Massachusetts on March 31st. (5-1) Abigail writes a letter in response to her husband John Adams. In her letter she tells her husband to “Remember the ladies” when drawing a new federal government. Another case of equality came about in the early 1800’s with Deborah Sampson. Sampson pretended to be a man named Robert Shutlif and was shot twice in the Revolutionary War. (5-9) At the time of the Revolutionary War women were consider to be inferior to men. Even the first ladies had a number of privileges they could not receive because they were female. The Revolutionary War increased people 's attention to political things and made issues of liberty and equality very important. During the time of the Revolutionary War people began rethinking of the rules for society which also led to some reconsideration of the relationship between men and women. In the North, where states abolished slavery after the Revolution, black women attained rights to marry, to have custody of their children, and to own their own property. Only on paper they had the same rights as white women. In the Southern states, lawmakers continued to reject enslaved women these simple human rights. But even in the South, a larger number of freed black women enjoyed the same privileges under the law as white women.
Similar to the relationship between active under-age people and able voters now, women influenced the men who did hold such power, to ultimately have a say in politics. The action of women influencing surrounding men has been happening throughout history, Abigail Adams majorly influenced her husband John Adams, who did enjoy the privilege of having a say in politics, by constantly reminding him “ to remember the ladies”. The continuing theme of women recognizing themselves as valuable and influential members of society, despite having oppressive nondemocratic ideals thrown upon them, grew with the development of the white mans democracy. Women’s fight for equality was not in spite of men’s increasing political power, but a result of it. Women saw men enjoying the power that they inherently knew they deserved and reacted
Over the course of history, women have fought and struggled to gain independence and rights for themselves. Starting all the way back at the beginning of time it has seemed to be that men have always been more superior than women. This co-existing issue has made women bundle down to the bottom of the “social ladder” which refrained them from freedom. Beginning back in the early 1800’s before laws and amendments were made women had close to no rights or freedoms. As the 1800’s went on several movements and marches started to happen as change did as well.
When the Founding Fathers brashly declared that all men are created equal in the United States Declaration of Independence, they conveniently forgot to include the word “women” in that statement. In my own pursuit of happiness I have been oppressed on a myriad of occasions due to my gender. As a female in the United States Army, I have been told by my male counterparts that I should be in the kitchen rather than in the field. I have been denied access to branches in the military that are said to be unfit for females to serve in, and I have watched as male soldiers rank up both faster and higher than female soldiers. Being a woman in today’s society means unequal pay, sexism, and overall general oppression.
Throughout history, women have been viewed differently from men. In the 1880’s and before, women were in charge of making a happy home, her job above all was to make sure her husband was happy. Around, the 1910’s women began fighting for their right to vote and to be viewed as an equal to the janitor that works for them. Still, to this day, women and girls are fighting to be viewed as an equal and respected as men and boys are in our society.
The letter Abigail Adams wrote to her husband in the March of 1776 had one purpose. She encouraged her husband to “remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.” Adams wanted her husband to include women in the formation of the United States. Unfortunately, women were scarcely mentioned in the Declaration of Independence, Article of Confederation, or Constitution. It was not until 1919 when women were given the right to vote, and there is still a pay gap between the genders. Throughout history, the oppression of women has been a common theme. Women have been seen as the weaker sex, restricted to domestic work, and treated as less than their worth. The limited rights of women in the 1950s and 1960s
For centuries the concept of gender and equality have been issues and talking points. Attitudes toward women have gradually softened and changed for the better as they are viewed as being equal with men. Women throughout history have been referred to as housewives, and factory girls. They weren’t able to gain the respect from men until they took a stance against inequality, also known as women’s suffrage. “I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself, and there I take my stand”, stated Susan B Anthony. Many factors have contributed to the rise of the status of women throughout the history of the United States. These factors include education, income status, and political contributions.
Many ancient laws and beliefs show that women from all around the world have always been considered inferior to men. However, as time went on, ideas of equality circulated around and women started to demand equality. Many women fought for equality and succeeded in bringing some rights. However, full equality for women has yet to be fulfilled. This issue is important because many women believe that the rights of a person should not be infringed no matter what their gender is, and by not giving them equality, their rights are being limited. During the periods 1840 to 1968, total equality for women did not become a reality due to inadequate political representation, economic discrepancy, and
From the earliest times of man, women seemed to always be seen and treated as inferior, and certainly not equal. With the birth of the United States, and the wars that followed, the female population finally gained the confidence to voice their thoughts of their roles in society. The impact of the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and the Progressive Era impacted the roles that women played in society in momentous ways because all three of these events were times of partial chaos with which came the more confident voices of women voicing their concerns about society’s views of them. The Revolutionary War was a time when thoughts and views were not as easily muted and, because of this, women, for the first time in history, took advantage of this and voiced their concerns verbally and through their actions such as Abigail Adams and the Sons and Daughters of Liberty. Due to similar unrest, the Civil War proved to be an exceedingly important time for women because they were able to partake in a actions such as speaking out against slavery, filling male positions in factories, and even aiding wartime doctors. A final event that created arguably the most change for women is the early Progressive years and the spin off actions that followed such as the call for women’s votes, the rising leadership roles that they called for, and even their aiding of the poor and sick in places such as the Hull House.
Gender inequality plays a critical role when it comes to social progress. As a woman,
Gender inequality is a social problem that is widespread in society. It is referred to as the unfair treatment of individuals based on one 's gender. Historically, laws have opposed women to go to school, access certain jobs, and purchase property. Gender inequality has been experience through culture – honor-killing, sex-selective abortion, and society – occupation, gender roles, and education. The social expectations of men and women differ between cultures that are constructed socially and culturally. These expectations are displayed in roles, and behavior believed both by men and women and their interdependent relationships. Gender inequality can be further understood through the structure of sexism. Discrimination takes place in gender inequality for the reason that men and women are treated on the basis of gender alone (Amjad, R., Ashfaq, M., Kousar, R., Saghir, A., 2010).
Social status and structures have definitely shaped the construction and experience of gender inequality. Men and women are constantly analyzed, compared, and grouped together in society. The result of this yields discrepancies in how sexes are viewed by society. Throughout my examination and explanation of gender inequality, I concluded both men and women are victims to gender inequality.