preview

Gender Roles In Society

Decent Essays

Gender roles have been around forever. They have shaped the way certain societies work and the how everyone lives their everyday lives. Gender roles still limit women and men in contemporary America and although there have been changes in history, the idea of how each gender should live in the world still stands today. Also, there’s still a discrimination between men and women in the world today. There have been changes in history that have impacted the way women are viewed. Social Norms were very strict back then then they are now. In the book The Awakening, which takes place in the 1800s, it states “ she gathered together stray garments that were hanging on the backs of chairs, and put each where it belonged in closet or bureau drawer” (Chopin, 51). The book also states “ Edna, left alone in the little side room, loosened her clothes, removing the greater part of them” (Chopin,43). These two pieces of text represent the social norms that were placed on women. In this case, Edna has to wear these social norms every day and make sure everything is perfect, but at times she likes to be free of them. At a certain point in history, women were finally allowed to work. The Market Revolution, which occurred in the 1800s, allowed women to work in factories to manufacture certain goods. This was a big step in what rights women had. However, it still wasn't enough. It was a small step but women were still being belittled and seen as not being able to do the same profession of work

Get Access