In the mid-1800s to early 1900, females had it difficult. There was a big differentiation in the

Women didn't always have the rights and freedom that we women get to enjoy today. There was a time when women were treated as the lesser to men. They didn't have the option to go out and work if they pleased, and the majority of the decision making was done by the men. Women weren't even allowed to vote for who was going to be their up and coming leaders. They went from one household controlled by their father, to the next household which was controlled by their husband. They were never on their own. We did have many strong willed women who didn't see this lifestyle as fair or right, and their fight is what got us to where we are today. Ill be introducing you to these women, also to the steps that they took and the many

For the longest time, women’s role in society was very narrow and set in stone. Women weren’t given the chance to decide life for their own, and there was a very sharp distinction of gender roles. Women were viewed as inferior, weak, and dependant. They were expected to be responsible for the family and maintainance of the house. But as the 19th century began, so did a drastic change in society. Women started voicing their opinions and seeking change. Trying to break away from this ideology called “cult of domesticity” was a lengthy, burdensome, and demanding struggle.

As the years progressed from the 1700s into the 1800s, women started to see that they were not treated as equal as men even though they could do anything men could. During the late 1800s was when women first started to fight for more rights and equality. They started forming more and more women groups, and even went on labor strikes to protest the diversity. Although it seemed that as hard as they tried to gain this equality, the harder it was for them to obtain it. They were treated horribly and unequally to men. While African American men received the power to vote in 1870, women still did not have a chance at that right. Even though many people disagree that women were treated fairly, the studies show that they were discriminated against. The treatment of women in the late 1800s was discriminatory because they

And, finally, Fatima is shocked to learn that some older women in American culture get sent to the retirement centers away from their families (p. 185). First of all, lives of Iraqi women are centered on their womenfolk. Fatima feels sorry that Elizabeth is so far from her mother and all on her own in a foreign country. And then, the older age is the deserved age for Iraqi women when, after life hard work, they “enjoy the repose and respect as members of their children’s households.” (p. 185) Mothers pick wives for their sons. And, as in case of Laila’s friend, they can really spoil lives of their daughters-in-law if they choose to. “In spite of the relative obscurity in which these women lived” they had an incredible influence on men, their husbands and especially their sons. (p. 56) So, Fatima genially feels sorry for Elizabeth with her inferior American customs.

Throughout history, it is seen that women were always treated like they were less than a male. While a great amount of women hid and did what they were told, some women fought for their rights and took a stand. For some women, this included getting a medical degree, or doing public speaking. During the 1800’s, there were multiple women that fought for women's rights by sticking up for themselves and not letting people down grade them for being female.

Throughout the early twentieth century, women of all ages worked together to fight for equality amongst men and women. From the time of flappers, to the ratification of the nineteenth amendment, to new opportunities during World War II, women have shown strength, bravery, and determination to receive equality for all. Women saw their greatest achievements and advancements economically, followed by the socially and politically. In politics, it was predicted that women would begin to gain opportunities and high paying jobs.

Women’s roles in the American household had been the same since the discovery of America to 1848. Women in the simplest of terms were meant to run the household, raise the children, cook, clean, etc. This began changing in 1848 when women wanted to break free from the social norms and develop a social role outside of the household. Women felt that their lives would be completely transformed if they earned the right to vote; once they earned the vote then they would earn equality across the board. This desire for social change began boiling many years before 1848 when women began reading and writing domestic novels expressing anger towards women’s dependency on men. They began attending women’s academies and formed ladies’ benevolent societies where they pursued their own personal interest and activities. Then in 1848 approximately 200 women gathered together to hold the first women’s rights convention in the United States. This convention discussed the social, civil, religious condition and rights of women. There would go on to be 10 National Women’s Rights Conventions and The National Women’s Suffrage Association along with the National Women’s Party. “Although social change was a constant in the American Republic, women were expected to be the stable unchanging element in a changing world.” Although the Women's rights movement allowed the equal treatment of men and women it did cause so much pain for so many women. The Women's rights movement created equality and justice,

Up until and during the mid -1800’s, women were stereotyped and not given the same rights that men had. Women were not allowed to vote, speak publically, stand for office and had no influence in public affairs. They received poorer education than men did and there was not one church, except for the Quakers, that allowed women to have a say in church affairs. Women also did not have any legal rights and were not permitted to own property. Overall, people believed that a woman only belonged in the home and that the only rule she may ever obtain was over her children. However, during the pre- Civil war era, woman began to stand up for what they believed in and to change the way that people viewed society (Lerner, 1971). Two of the most

Being a woman in a male dominated society quickly became exhausting for those who wanted more out of life than to be a wife or a mother. Although, a domesticated lifestyle for some seems ideal it’s only natural for women to want different things such as success in a work environment or a marriage not occupied by children. Before the 1890s the United States was focused on the issue of slavery and trying to figure out whether it should be abolished or not. For this reason, feminists were silenced and swept up underneath the rug and it wasn't until the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments when women really started pursuing their rights. During this historical time period, women were confused as of why “savages” were give the right to vote while, white,

America is the land of opportunity. It is a place of rebirth, hope, and freedom. However, it was not always like that for women. Many times in history women were oppressed, belittled, and deprived of the opportunity to learn and work in their desired profession. Instead, their life was confined to the home and family. While this was a noble role, many females felt that they were being restricted and therefore desired more independence. In America, women started to break the mold in 1848 and continued to push for social, political, educational, and career freedom. By the 1920s, women had experienced significant “liberation”, as they were then allowed to vote, hold public office, gain a higher education, obtain new jobs, drastically change

After reading the novel, In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar, incredible thoughts began to form inside my head about how simple a decision it was to be declared a productive member of society, based completely on the person’s gender. Out of respect for the Libyan people and the rest of the Middle East, I have made my conclusions based solely on responses or judgments Matar’s characters demonstrate in the novel. The novel by Matar suggests that people in the Middle East or in any third world country, like a country such as Libya, must earn the respect of their elders from a male figure or from someone with authority, as women are left behind with almost no functioning place in society, as viewed solely in the novel. In the novel, the

Women everywhere in our culture were having similar experiences of unfair treatment because of being female, so they banded together to improve their social and professional status. Women created several support systems for each other, because they knew that the only way to bring about change was in numbers. The League of Women Voters set a precedent over 50 years ago as a successful organization made to ensure women the same voting rights as men. There are now such

If a Lebanese woman “choose to marry a non-Lebanese [she] will not be able to give [her] children the Lebanese nationality, even if they are born and raised [there]” (Rahhal), the same happens to Saudi women. In the past, women in Lebanon had their marriage arranged by their parents, and they would marry their first cousins. In the course of time, women now can choose with whom they want to marry. Women of both countries are fighting to have their rights the same as the men rights, showing how two totally opposite countries, one strict and the other liberal, are fighting for the same reasons.

A lot of things have changed for women over the centuries in context of politics and family beliefs. There were many negative aspects on how women were viewed and treated in the nineteenth century. Several of these circumstances are addressed in an article printed by the Encyclopedia of the United States called “Women”. Although men would argue that their actions were fair and realistic because of the logic that men had successfully, physically and financially took care of their wives and children for an adequate period of time. On the contrary, during that time period, the women’s suffrage movement came into order, inventing laws to pursue rights and fair opportunities for women as they were for men. As

The work “Sitt Maria Rose” by Etel Adnan is set before and during the Lebanese Civil War of 1975-1990. Publication was done in France in 1978, after an Arabic translation done one year earlier. It was based on the life of Maria Rose Boulos, who was executed by a Christian militia during the conflict, defines in breadth the various aspects of Lebanese culture, and even on social issues such as xenophobia and women’s role in society. Historically the French Mandate (1943) ended France’s political influence in Lebanon, but the influences brought by Western culture helped create a Lebanon characterized by diversity. The major themes, as put by Adnan, are based on contrasts between the Western and Eastern influences on Beirut. The role of the Lebanese women, within their social context, is paid particular attention especially in the latter half of the work, in the form of a dramatization of the death of Maria Rose Boulos. She was an immigrant from Syria who taught deaf and mute children and contributed to the organization of social services for Palestinian camps (Adnan 17).