The Struggle Of A Woman

The gender roles in America have changed tremendously since the end of the American Civil War. Women and men, who once lived in separate spheres are now both contributing to American society. Women have gone from the housewife so playing key roles in the country's development in all areas. Though our society widely accepts women and the idea that our society is gender neutral, the issues that women once faced in the late 1860s are still here.

Women’s rights and equalities have always been an issue. Women first began their fight for equality in 1776, when the Congress was working on the Declaration of Independence. During the late 1840s, women set up the first women’s rights convention, which was the starting point of the women’s rights movement. In 1861, men were getting called off to war, leaving their wives and kids at home to wait patiently and care for the house and children. Women did not take too well to that idea, and they began to take action. Women have always fought for their right to stand alongside men. The three major events for the fight to gain rights and equality for women were the “Remembering the Ladies” declaration, the Civil War, and the Women’s Rights Movement.

Women’s rights to vote women couldn’t vote back in the late 1800’s. Women had to stay home and take care of the children, cook and clean the house and when their husbands get home take care of them too. Although women had to do all those things they were not paid equal for the things they did. Women were told it is not job to vote that it is a man’s job to do the voting and women to take care of everything else. Gaining the vote for American women, known as woman suffrage, was the single largest enfranchisement and extension of democratic rights in our nation’s history. Along

Many women’s rights activists advocated equal rights in state legislatures, which led to conventions and women’s social organizations. They reasoned that women had the same opportunities to political, religious, social, and economic rights that men had and argued they were no different from men. In Document A, Judith Sargent Murray says, ...our souls are by nature equal to yours; the same breath of God animates, enlivens, and invigorates us; and that we are not fallen lower than yourselves…” In 1848, New York passed the married Women's Property Act, which allowed married women the right to own property which they had inherited. To get a true sense of women’s attempts for equity they began to join the workforce, and get a higher education to get a new view of themselves.

Along with their right to vote came a change in the social status of women as a whole. They were no longer viewed as inferior individuals to men, but as strong citizens of the United States who could equally contribute to the political system. Nevertheless, women began changing their “natural roles” years before the Nineteenth Amendment was even ratified. They left the domestic housewife label and took on different jobs such as factory and office work. The support of women reformers urged them to move forward and aim for a change. Because of the women reformers in the Progressive Era, modern day women are benefitting from their hard work and persistence. Women are still able to vote and express their political opinions. Female votes matter just as much as those of the men. Furthermore, women are not confined to being housewives. They can take on any job that a man can and also care for those in their home. In fact, many women are the main supporters of their households now. With that being said, women reformers paved the way for all women that followed after them. If women reformers could see a glimpse of how far women have come since their time, they would be highly pleased to see the fruits of their

Starting in the nineteenth century women’s rights was a very hushed subject, it wasn’t really talked about because everyone thought of women as being the homemakers, taking care of the family and making meals while the men went out and worked. During

Starting in the nineteenth century women’s rights was a very hushed subject, it wasn’t really talked about because everyone thought of women as being the homemakers, taking care of the family and making meals while the men went out and worked. During

The period 1940-1975 represented a time of trouble within the United States and overseas. As World War II ended in 1945, many Cold war conflicts erupted shortly after that, increasing social controversy among teenagers, minorities and especially women. During this time period, gender inequality was ongoing in many aspects of life. Women were tired of constantly staying home engaging in domestic activities and were dissatisfied in their roles as “housewives”. The rise of the women’s rights movement was spurred by the growth of women joining the workforce, resentment of being treated as inferior to men, and the rise of unity among women.

During the 1850’s the women’s rights movement in the United States continued to build, but lost momentum when the Civil War began. After the war ended, the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution were drafted and ratified; protection to all citizens - with the term “citizens” defined as male, and suffrage for black men, respectively. The drafting of the 15th Amendment caused animosity with women’s rights activists and led them to believe that this was their chance to push lawmakers for truly universal suffrage. They “allied

The creation and advancement of the United States national government sparked recognition by women to understand the importance of and wanting the right to vote. Women’s rights and the reform movement were a contentious request at best. Not until 1848 did an organized convention occur that would later serve as a building block towards women’s rights advancements in the future. The United States was governed by all men who already had an opinion of what a women’s place in society should be, in the home, and the issue of women’s rights was

The Fight for Rights Have you ever felt like your parents don’t understand that you are mature and capable of doing something because they feel you are inadequate? Or that someone doesn’t think you are “worthy” for the rights you have because of your gender, age, or race? That is exactly how women felt in the 1900’s and some still today. Women were always considered as the “lesser sex”. Back then they were supposed to be obedient housewives that let the men do the work outside the home.

Before August 26, 1920, and even after, it was a very prominent belief that a white woman in the United States belonged in the house. She belonged in the kitchen, cooking dinner for her family, she did not have a job or life outside of her family, because her family was her life, and her husband did the working. Historians call this belief the “Cult of True Womanhood”: the idea that “a ‘true’ woman was a pious, submissive wife and mother concerned exclusively with home and family.” (Williams) This life of living at home and taking care of the family would never have been so closed in if not for the extended belief that women should not belong in politics. What men did not understand was the fact that in order to take care of her family, she had to be able to make decisions in her household, her town, and her country. In order to do this, she needed to be able to vote and be a valid part of where she was living. As seen

The plague of male dominancy and female oppression has spread throughout time and cultures like a pandemic infection, targeting women. Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy” and Janice Mirikitani’s “Suicide Note,” show the struggle and pain that oppressive forces perpetrated on women. Although, both speakers are oppressed the way they end the oppression and the cause of it are very different. Patriarchy has always existed, and it affects women all over the world. For example, banned bride abductions in Central Asia have continued to occur, and the women who resist abduction, risk death, or becoming ostracized from their country (Werner 2).

Throughout the U.S history, women have fought a long journey in order to be treated fairly and equally. When women arrived to this country, they were seen as housewives who only served their families, nothing less and nothing more. As time progressed, many women started to disagree with the idea of being just housewives and believed they were capable of many great things such as having the right to vote, and being able to work outside of home. Eventually, it started to create inequalities of the legal statuses of men and women. Around the mid-nineteenth century, the women’s right movement started bringing controversial

Women have had significant changes in their lives from the past to present in terms of employment as they are more and more being moved away from the household, being able to work like regular men today. Proportion of women in the total workforce is increasing and consequently they compete successfully for higher income jobs such as chief executives. They even have been moving into jobs that in the past were only allocated to men. While these signs are encouraging, women are still paid less than men with a fewer rights and low protection in the workforce. The progression of gender equality still appears uneven, although many women have seized opportunities and are slowly evening up the workforce and deserving the equality they have struggled for ever since the beginning of the twentieth century. Women in executive positions, even in major corporations are exposed to the daily sexist and diminishing behavior from men, leaving women powerless and vulnerable in their attempts to earn their place in the future society. Even though many women in their adolescent years excel in their educational training, their achievements and general attainments are not rewarded properly as the levels of salary are not exactly the same as for men once the workforce is reached. By a sheer determination and eagerness to learn and improve, women are earning their place in the society pushing the boundaries and reinforcing their rights to be