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Women And Women 's Rights

Decent Essays

During the past century there have been significant changes in the modern values and norms of our society. While both men and women have had difficulties revolving around these changes, the Nineteenth Century really impacted “a sharp differentiation between the gender roles” (Radek, 2001, para. 1). Males and females are thought to have separate societal duties based on gender differences. The male’s duties began to be in the public sphere and the woman’s duties are confined to the privacy of the home. During this changing century, female status began to dramatically emerge through the fight for female education and women’s rights. Although men have had some significant challenges, they have not been more affected by the modern cult of individualism and self-actualization than women have.
Traditionally, men have been the primary representatives of their families and are valued by the community, based on social status. As representatives of their families, men are held accountable even in regards to sexual misconduct. We see examples of this responsibility dating back to the 1600s. In a court case regarding promiscuity against “the wife of Alexander Aines” (Lauria, 1998, para 24). We notice that the wife’s name is not mentioned, only the patriarch of the household is named. Alexander Aines is then charged for leaving his family and exposing his wife to temptations. He, as the representative of his family, is responsible for her actions and has to pay the imprisonment charges

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