This very much complicated the assumption that women should marry. A series of female educational pioneers had also emerged and their efforts formed part of a much wider movement of campaigners who sought to bring women equal rights to study, work, own property and vote. This resulted in a great number of changes in the lives of women2. Women had started to gain a voice in politics. This was a big change as, before this period, women hadn’t been able to put forth ideas to even challenge legislation let alone contribute to the making of new laws.
From the early beginnings in the founding of America, it can be said that women have been held inferior to men. Along the course of history the basis of this argument has steadily been changing in a positive direction in the favorable light of women. Times have changed in our country and women have been able to attain greater roles in everyday life. It is sad to note that women in some countries around the world have been suppressed from being able to advance to the same level as men. Traditionally, and still today, work is what creates such gender bias.
Role of women until 1500 “Women Past Lived” Erin Snider World Civilization I Martha Stillman September 21, 2009 Women Past Lived Page 2 Women today have status and rights because of the women of yesterday’s many societies breaking through obstacles of extreme measures. Even though culture around the world differed in religion, dress, language and a few daily rituals there were many similarities that connected the way of life. The role of women in every society through early times including Roman, Medieval, India and China mostly ruled there women as inferior to their men and were unable to have many rights. Women were usually uneducated; unable to vote some of the case they hardly left their homes. The
However, the rights which were won seemed to exclude women. Many women did not like this and they wanted to be equal to men and they fought their own war of independence to receive that right. It started off small, but eventually grew into a big movement. Many average women would be remembered as someone great and their names would shine throughout history. One of these women was one known as Susan Brownell Anthony.
Jensen mentions that “… we live our lives in that system and it deforms men narrowing our emotional range and depth” (533).For example, when two people decide to be in a relationship they are both vulnerable to getting hurt both emotionally and physically, but most men tend to be conservative while women get very attached to things so we are affected on different levels. Even though masculinity has varies ways of shaping our lives, we came part of the system in which masculinity can flourish, and we fail to see how it has taken over our lives to the point that we struggle to make a connection with our environment. If this view of masculinity was somehow to be replaced or somehow forgotten it will direct us to the ideal understanding of humanity and enable it to shape our lives in a way that we can gain back control of who we are and what we strive to be. Ideally it’s a world where no tendencies are embedded within
The question to be looked at is ‘What does it mean to be a woman?’Although there has been some progress in the past 30 years, particularly in women’s education and employment equality, there are still many inequalities and also more inconspicuous issues affecting the women of today including domestic violence and rape and sexual abuse and I would like to look further into this. So, what does it mean to be female in today’s society? Though there has been some improvement in gender equality, women are still oppressed. Today’s women earn one-tenth of the worlds income, occupy only 18% of seats in the worlds parliaments, comprise two-thirds of the exploited informal workforce, and for women aged 15-44 gender violence accounts for more deaths and disability than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and war (World Health Organisation 2005). Studies show women are paid less even when doing the same job with the same experience as their male counterparts
They have asked themselves what could be done to become more like men. As a challenge, nothing comes free and easy. It has been hard for women, as yet they have not come close to the race of men. And as the race went on, women have begun to realize that the role of a feminine life is the one they want to live. They have started to realize that a diverse and mixed work zone is a good place and feeling, being able to accomplish what some men
They wanted equality for women in the workplace, in society generally and at home. “After discovering that they could work in high-paying factory jobs, the majority of women did not want to give these jobs up after World War II.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Womenroles_in_the_WorldWarsUnitedStatesofAmerica
She blames men for giving them the place in society but also puts it on women’s shoulders by saying, “Only in recent years has woman's position as the gentler and weaker half of the human family been emphatically and generally questioned. Men assumed that this was woman's place; woman herself accepted it”4. She does begin to display some energy for what could change minds of women that accepted their submissive role in society. “Since they were given the role, women have still rallied and protested to rights of men. Despite the winning of voting, property and working rights, they have accomplished nothing relative to their vital factors of their existence”.5 Her belief is that they are there to lead the movements of bettering society by voluntarily bringing in only those who are fit to undo the wrong that they have allowed to come about.
Although the status of women did not decline the brutal and evil ways of their husbands made life unbearable. Women still lost their job rights, were having their feet binded, and the religion was still Confucian. From the beginning of the Tang dynasty all the way down to the Song dynasty there was a major decline in the status of women; especially in religion, customs, and jobs. In the beginning, women had plenty of rights because the Buddhist belief system allowed women to have many rights but once the Song dynasty came in all that changed when the rulers changed the religion to a Confucian based system. Also, women were able to obtain high jobs such as an empress but toward the end of the Song dynasty few women had jobs because of their lack of education.