Oppression of Women Essay

Back in the nineteenth century men and women were not treated equally as they are now. Women did not have as much freedom as the men did and that caused a national movement. Not only were the women segregated from the men, but the discrimination against the African American race was a huge ordeal as well. With both movements combined, it led to a controversial development at that time. Not only were women fighting for equality, they were also fighting for the prejudice to end amongst the different races. The beginning of the Women’s Rights Movement and the Abolitionist Movement was not only a historic development, but it changed the world forever.

Women have had many important contributions to this life so it was only fair that they gained equal rights as men. Even today women still struggle to get the recognition they deserve and full equality to males. The nineteenth century

At first in the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s, the society had a plethora of discrimination as well as inequality. Women were treated unreasonably, and had far less rights than men. Many of those rights that women fought for excluded them from many opportunities given to men, “...married women could not own property, make contracts, bring suits, or sit on juries,” (Digital History, 2016). Women actions were based on the men’s needs. Women were restricted to work and

A number of women in the United States and Europe became frustrated with apparent prejudices against women in the 1830s. The women came together by focusing on a specific goals to help their quality of living. It made it hard for women to establish family and marriage laws because women couldn’t divorce and be included in property laws, which men had complete control over women. Rights/laws for women did not make any progress until the late 1800s and early 1900s. Divorce and property rights were at the surface of the women movement. The first right to be granted to women was nursing. Some middle and upper class women were being hears, as they began to gain access to higher education and some occupations mainly filled by men. Amalie Sieveking

At the inception of the United States, women had portrayed as being in the background of history. It was written that it was men who dictated the direction this country went in, women were just another passenger. This is however a misconception as women have played an integral role in the creation of this nation and its direction. Women have had limited power and say at in the early period of the United States. Over the course of history more women had started to become more outspoken over the inequality.

Due to the time period, one is raised in there are certain things that are considered to be the norm. In the late 1900’s women had no voice to speak out or give any of their opinions regarding any matters. In those types of society’s, the women are oppressed because the males were dominant. Edna Pontellier from The Awakening by Kate Chopin and Janie Crawford from Their eyes were watching God by Zora Neale Hurston are two women who are oppressed in the society they are brought up in.

One can agree that for many generations women were victims of sexism. Even though sexism was unfair, it later taught women to stand up for themselves. One reason why sexism existed was because men were looked upon as superior. Because men had the role of being strong, aggressive and the sole provider. Unfortunately, men were to become the masters of most women. For the duration, women were

Throughout time women have been looked upon as lesser individuals. However this is not the case. Women have played a very important part in our lives since the beginning of time. In the United States just within the past one hundred years women have received the right to vote. Hate and acts of violence against women still happen in other country 's today. This famous quote by Abraham Lincoln proves that women should be treated as equals to men:

(Goldfield, 338) Since the cult of domesticity was making women inferior to men, women decided to do as the slaves did and fight for their own freedom. The women’s rights movement began in the mid-1800s. Female and male abolitionist found it necessary that women should be able to have the same rights as men. Just because biologically they are different, it does not mean they do not deserve the same rights. Women were denied the right to vote, property and a right to an education or job. (Goldfield, 338) At first the women’s movement was slow. Many women were afraid to speak out in fear of being shunned by their community. This was a brand new scary task that Women for the first time were going to deal with. A women speaking out against the norms of society was seen as a terrible thing to do. When you have many women speaking out for the same thing a change must be done. When the first national convention for women’s rights was called in Seneca Falls, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott were able to successfully use the Declaration of Independence as a model for their own Declaration of Sentiments. (Goldfield, 339) In their Declaration they branded that “male patriarchy as the source of women’s oppression” (Goldfield, 339) Stanton and Mott called for full women’s rights and to become independent citizens. Although the fight for women’s rights was always an important issue, most abolitionists deemed it less important

My mother has always promoted sisterhood and support for women. Growing up, I was taught that women, although we can do anything we want to do, need a support system, because we are traditionally the underdogs, and we should not accept being treated unfairly. My mother likes to tell a story about how, when she was a girl, she told her dad that she had decided to become a lawyer when she grew up. In response to her proclamation, my grandfather, an attorney himself, asked, "Isn’t that an awfully expensive education for a girl?"

Oppression signifies an authority over another group, disengaging that particular group from the rest of society. “The term oppression encapsulates the fusion of institutional and systemic discrimination, personal bias, bigotry, and social prejudice in a complex web of relationships and structures that shade most aspects of life in our society” (Bell, 1997). In one way or another every individual experiences some form of oppression, whether it be through race, sex, gender, religion, age, wealth and/or sexual orientation. These cultural minorities experience inequality where a dominant culture casts its authority and power through exercises of unjust and cruel methods; these methods have been experienced through the Women’s Movement, the

Since the beginning of the 1800's, women had been fighting for the rights that they wanted. Women should be able to vote, control their own property and income, and they should have access to higher education and professional jobs. Women also had many roles in society. Women had very important parts in jobs as they took up more responsibilities. Girls, young ladies, and women of all ages were working harder to bring home income. Most women thought the pay and the conditions were unfair. These arguments grew as women fought more and more for social equality.

Women were always seen as being inferior or “weak” to men; that they couldn’t do the same things men did because they lacked the physical strength to do so. Because women were physically inferior, it became easy to oppress them due to this difference in power.

In the 1800’s a women was suppose to have four things Piety, Purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. These principles shaped the “Cult of True Womanhood” an idea that women were to be seen but not heard. Women had no say when it came to politics, they couldn’t own property, they were not allowed to do many jobs, and they couldn’t even speak in front of men. They had the duty to be a mother and raise their children but even thought they had this responsibility it was the husband who had the complete control and guardianship of the children. Because of these ideas it was very difficult for change to happen. When women started to receive more education they began to ask questions about why they were being denied these rights, which began the

The oppression of women is based on false assumption and preconceived notions by the male domination world, has been obvious and responsible for paving the way for serious gender issues to emerge. Due to the narrow realms of activity in society, deprived from essential human rights, restricted educations scope, open to unhealthy physical and mental abuse, this society has not given women the opportunity to rise to their full potential. The impact of gender discrimination has not only affected the future of the women today but it has resulted in the slow progress of human mind in general.