Emerging Issue: Women's role in Society

Since the earliest of times women have been stereotypically seen as inferior to men. Men were the hunters and women were the gathers. More specifically men did most of the harder more physically tasking work while women did domestic house chores; cooking, cleaning, laundry, and taking care of children. Women had fewer legal rights, career opportunities, education and were expected to commit themselves to being a devoted wife and mother. Although this stereotypical view of women still plays a role in society today, many changes have been made throughout history that allows women the same rights as men.

Throughout history women’s role in society was to simply get married at an early age, find a husband, have children and be loyal and devoted housewives until death do her part. Women weren’t allowed to gain an adequate education, hold community positions, vote, talk about money, and even speak without being spoken to. Men practically “owned’ their wife and children. Women didn't have any part in the decision making of their husbands or men in general. Women’s main existence was to have children, particularly a male, and serve their husbands. Females were considered the weaker sex (because of the technology that is available to us today, this has been proven inaccurate. Scientifically women are more tolerant of pain than men because of the natural process of giving birth) more fastidious, less intelligent, less knowledgeable and never up to par with what men were capable of.

That all changed in the 1900’s. As men were enlisted to fight for our country factories, textile mills, and other business were suffering along with income of the household. So women and children began working outside the homes in these factories, mills, garment shops, and other business’s to make an income for their families while the husbands were at war. The work environments were crowded, unsanitary, hot/muggy, and most women and children worked long 12 hour days. In 1910 the United States passed a bill that limited the hour’s women and children could work and improving working conditions. This was the first real movement when women had to step up to the plate and show that they could still be a mother, wife, be a successful working female, and do everything a man could do. This created a domino effect.

Another controversial decision that was made as legislature passed the right for women to vote. It wasn’t done without a long, frustrating fight. National Women’s Rights Convention (NWRC) in the 1850’s was a group of women that had come together to fight for the women’s rights. In 1914, Champ Clark, who was at the time currently the speaker of the house, had announced his support of women’s rights. Soon after his support, others followed and in 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed. It provided “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”

Women began to become more independent and earned a living on their own. Jobs held by women varied from a seamstress to doctors and lawyers. Women were still seen as the inferior sex so obtaining these professions wasn’t easy. Some prestige schools (med school, law school) even re-wrote the required educational preparation programs to prevent women from entering into professional careers. Today women comprise 47 percent of the total U.S. labor force. Working mothers and wives has become more and more popular and accepted as time goes by. Women are waiting to have children later in life and working on creating successful careers before having a family.

The majority of women today work full time, have families, and the stereotypical traditional gender gaps between men and women are beginning closing. Women’s lives are still dramatically changing from generation to generation, the ability for women to make choices such as contraceptives, legalized abortions, marriages, divorces, education, and health and wellness are choices that past generations of women weren’t allowed to make and in some cases are still being adapted as socially acceptable. As women’s roles are changing in society so does the role of men. Men have more responsibilities in the household and caring for the children. Household are beginning to be 50/50 when it comes to taking care of the home and the income for the household.

Even though women’s roles in society are becoming bigger and more accepted, we still have a problem with equality in today’s society. Women who are CEO’s, hold offices, lawyers, doctors, and hold other powerful positions are still earning 65 to 80 percent of what men in those positions are earning. In my opinion I don’t think than women will ever be seen as equal as men. Men are scientifically proven to be physically stronger than women. I do believe that whatever men can do so can women but in different ways. Males and females are built differently in the way we communicate, hold ourselves, perspectives, comprehend, and go about living our lives, there is no right or wrong way. I believe there are things men will always be better at but women will also be better than men in a different way. It’s different perspectives on how to look at it.

We see women in these roles because of how society has been formed thanks to deviance, groupthink, diversity, beliefs, values, race and ethnicity. Without these forms of sociology women wouldn’t have all the amenities they have today. These different factors that lead to a diverse way of thinking allow us to draw conclusions to change and reform society all the time.

The article "2012 Elections: Women make their mark" is about women's standings the most recent election. More women are continuing to fight for what is still consistered a man's position in polotics. Now more than ever more woman are starting to run for office. This article is great how women are starting to represent our country. 2012 Elections: Women make thier mark