Women 's Role As A Woman

Women have fought throughout history in order to achieve different roles as well as to acquire recognition, independence, equality and respect. It has not been easy since they have had many barriers to overcome; their role in the family as wives, mothers and daughters; their role in society fighting for their rights, being heard and treated as men; their role as career women, not only receiving an education but also being able to work.

1. Why did Cato object to repealing the Oppian law? What was the basis of his objections?

Women’s roles have changed greatly throughout history. As the advancement of culture, laws, and ideas altered ways of life, women’s lives also evolved in numerous aspects of society. Women’s roles changed greatly between 1815 and 1860. During this time, family dynamics changed as the mothers that were placed at the center of the household were given greater freedoms. In addition, women had more opportunity to take on jobs in the workplace. Women also fought for reform movements that altered their ways of life in the community. During the reform era of the United States, factors such as religion, education, and reforms greatly changed women’s roles in the family, workplace, and society.

Over the past few decades, great strides have been made by women in the workplace. This increased number in women in the workplace does not mean equality however. Even with equal qualifications and achievements, women are still not given all the opportunities that men have. The chapter in the textbook, “Gender at Work”, shows us more of these inequalities in the workplace. Such inequalities cause gender segregation of jobs and can be linked with the pay inequality in the labor force. Even in jobs that are predominantly filled by women, men earn more than women. Women are often stereotyped as being family focused and not as able to travel, therefore they tend to get passed up for promotions (Garson p.353). This invisible barrier that keeps women from moving up the executive ladder is referred to as the “glass ceiling” (Baxter and Wright p. 346). Women also tend to do more domestic work, or unpaid labor and caregiving. This extra unpaid work is referred to as “the third shift” and is largely rested on the shoulders of women (Gersel p. 352). Consequently, this seems to be one of the biggest things holding women back from taking on jobs that are normally considered male

When you think about women in the work field today, what do you see? A successful lawyer, a doctor, perhaps. That’s true. In fact, there have been more females holding high employment positions in the late 20th and 21st century than ever before. According to Donald M. Fisk in “Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2003”, 60% of working-age women worked in the labor force in 1999. That’s 41% more than that of 1900, where only 19% of women worked in the labor force. Among these women, a vast majority have seen their salaries sky-rocket in the past two decades, almost surpassing those of male workers. However, it is not always this way.

Women have made extraordinary strides toward workplace equality in the last century. The labor-market participation rate for women 25 to 44 years of age - the average child bearing years - rose from less than 20% to more than 75% between 1900 and 1999 (Velasquez, 1.) Author Andrea Lunsford writes about the simple concept of “comparable worth” saying that concept of workers with “comparable skills, education and experience be paid equal amounts” should be a fairly simple policy to institute. (Lunsford, 617) But as many women know first hand, this practice can be fairly difficult to enforce. Many companies can even seem downright opposed to it. Women in the workplace have it hard enough; they are under more

The roles of women have always been changing over time, and the roles of women have never been identical in two different societies. Throughout history we have seen women be vital to societies and treated as such, women have had power and equality to men. We have seen great women successfully lead massive empires, but we have also seen women be mistreated, objectified, and treated as less than a man. An analysis of four sources shows how the role of women in the west, central Asia, and China had many differences but also many similarities.

In general, the wage gap has narrowed at a slow, and uneven, pace over last three decades. Recent data shows that women in the American workforce earn 77 cents for every dollar a man earns (Trevino). The existence of this “gender wage gap” has been an issue since women entered the workforce. The ongoing issue of the past has now become an apparent problem in our modern-day, progressive society. Women nowadays have opportunities that were not obtainable in past decades but must overcome, or ignore, the barrier of being punished in the long run for simply being a woman. While there have been major progresses in breaking through the norms and social constructs, women face other challenges, including discrimination and sexism (Gender). Despite the ongoing struggle to reach wage equality between the sexes through various legislative initiatives and the ever increasing involvement of women in the American workforce, the wage gap has only closed by a marginal 15 percent over the last four decades (Dale and Levine).

Traditional views of women have existed since the first known civilizations. Typical gender roles would include women taking care of the children, cleaning the house, preparing meals, and taking care of her husband; all while the husband works and supplies his family with what they need. Although there is nothing wrong with these traditional gender roles, times have changed and a lot of women are expanding against societal norms and doing more with their life than just the housekeeper. Women are achieving higher education, obtaining stable careers and financial stability for themselves. They are also choosing to not have children, or they will still return to work after their maternity leave. This era of revolution for women is taking the world

Women earn less than men. In fact, in America, a woman earns an average of 79 cents to her male coworker’s dollar. Many people see this statistic and think that 21 cents is nothing to fuss over, but the truth is that “the cumulative impact of lower wages throughout women’s careers is devastating, costing a woman working full time, year-round close to half a million dollars over the course of her career” (“New Report”). Although the inferior treatment of women in the workplace is an unfortunate reality, there are many groups and organizations working to empower women and do something about the gender pay gap.

Women have worked vigorously over the last century to achieve equality in many different ways. From when it all began, during The Suffrage Movement, women have accomplished many of their goals and as a result have become closer to equality with their male equivalents. But, the gap that women have been working endlessly to close still exists today and although not as wide as before, the gap still exists. There are several ways women fall short of equality and one of the most profound issues is the affair of pay equity. Many women today still do not receive identical pay in the workplace, and as of 2014, “among all working men and women ages 16 and older, women’s hourly wages were 84% those of men” (Pew Research Center). To attain full

Researchers have proposed a variety of explanations for systematic gender inequality in the workplace. Cultural benefits, the actions of male employees, the actions of the female employees, and the actions of the employer can contribute to intentional or unintentional gender discrimination (Ngo, Foley, Wong, & Loi, 2003). It has also been mentioned that women make less money because their work environment is generally safer than the stereotypical male work environment; childcare, cashiers, and secretary positions as opposed to firefighters, truck drivers and construction workers (Parcheta, Kaifi, & Khanfar, 2013). Perhaps the most dominant reasoning for women receiving less pay is the carrying over of biological roles into the workplace. Female employees often take time off to have a family, take care of a family, and are the primary caregiver of said family.

Inequality has been a dilemma for several years in countless different ways. A persistent problem with disproportion of income between women and men has been lingering within many companies in the United States. It has been said that women earn less money than men in the workplace for many different reasons. Some of these reasons are that women have not spent enough time in the office to be rewarded with raises and bonuses because they are busy with their home lives and taking care of their children, they, unlike men, have been taught to be timid and unaggressive which ultimately steers them away from requesting higher pay, or they do not meet the qualifications to receive promotions (Hymowitz, 2008). This essay is in response to On

The fact that to an employer “woman” translates to “unqualified” is just one example of how deeply rooted sexism is in the minds of the citizens, and what a formidable opponent gender inequality is to women. This sexist mindset is what deters women from advancing in their careers and in our society, making it impossible for that mindset to be changed. How can women advance to positions of power in their careers and achieve equality if simply being hired is a challenge, despite legitimate qualifications? And even after women are hired, workplace sexism is right at their heels. The most obvious example of how undervalued women are in the workplace is the gender pay gap, which is an immediate part of a woman’s career, already present as women coming out of college begin to work (Asian News International). According to Miller “Women make about 79 percent of what men make -- this translates into a loss of about $10,000 each year. ” This means that women are being paid over 20% less than what men are paid for the same job and for the same work. The gap between the worth of male and female labor is startling, and the gender inequality here is blatant. Women being so severely underpaid is a clear sign female workers are valued much less than male workers. The sheer financial discrimination women face in their careers is obvious, and a serious obstacle for women trying to advance in their careers.

Although women are roughly equal to men in number, many different stories across many different cultures have chosen to focus on the roles and contributions of men. Women are often included only as a way to further a man’s story, rather than as the protagonist in her own journey. One way in which women can impact the narrative, regardless of whose story is being told, is in giving birth. The act of creating a new life forces a change in the world around the characters. However, even this role can be taken from women, and sometimes they must resort to other means to gain agency in their stories.