Gender Roles Changing in The Last Century Women have come a long way from being confined by the idealized image society held them to. The routine by which all women must live or deny their femininity and stand up for what they wish to do in life. From the necessity to only be the housewife, mother, and wife in which they must be cooking, cleaning, washing, and bearing children they have now become bread winners just like the men and can provide for their families if they choose to and not because that is how society sees it. If a woman would like to break out of being the housewife and work then she shall do so! Women in the work place began with World War I, around 1914.
Now day’s women are arranging for childcare for their children while they obtain fulltime jobs. Today women are more independent and no longer have to stand in the shadow of a man. It is now common for the man to be the homemaker who tends to the children while the woman provides for the family and makes the living. However, years ago, a man was viewed by society as the provider for the family. This meant that obtaining a job was the main thing that a man had to do.
Most women were brought up to support her husband and look after her home and children; her time was always contributed to her home. As the women would always be in the house they would barely go out. The odd occasion would consist of going to the shop or going to visit the neighbor, even though they were minor trips a women would need a chaperone to take her out of the house, this would consist of the husband or brother, or even another female, but a women would never go out by herself. Women were expected to act in an appropriate restrained way than men. This would include men spitting, swearing, smoking and drinking alcohol.
‘Asses the view that the family has become more and more symmetrical.’ The typical Traditional nuclear family is where the man of the house plays the Instrumental role in the family (which is the person who goes out to work, makes the money and supports his family financially), the women plays the expressive role in the family ( which is the housewife who stays at home, cooks, cleans, looks after the children), these roles are referred to as segregated conjugal roles. Although these roles are still in place today in some families, according to Wilmott and Young’s theory, families were becoming lot more symmetrical. A symmetrical family is a family that share male and female roles. For example a woman will go to work just like the man will a man will take care of the kids and so will the woman. Wilmott and Young studied the symmetrical family in 1974, the study carried out was to see if the traditional roles of the household had changed for example was it only the mother’s job to look after the children and tend to the house whilst the father went out to work.
Children were an economic responsibility for women - providing food, housing and clothing until the child was independent and could go out to work to provide for the family themselves. Most working class women worked, as this was an obligation, but this work contrasted hugely to that of their male counterparts, occupying roles of lower skill and less pay. Edward Cadbury in 1909 said that marriage was ‘an escape from work’ Trint, S. History Learning Site 2010-2011. Women’s Rights. www.historylearningsite.co.uk [accessed 07122011].
Here is the problem that Tamika faces. She does not spend enough time at home with her children and if she cuts back on work, she may not have a job in the end. So it seems as if she has to make a choice when all she needs to do is learn how to balance the two. Balancing work life and family life is easier said than
The historical debate surrounding this topic is wether women’s lives really did change greatly after the two world wars, or wether their lives simply went back to the way they were before the war started. This essay will discuss women’s participation during the two world wars, the gaining of the vote, women in the workplace after the wars, their role in society and how it changed and eventually, coming to the conclusion that women’s lives did not change to a great extent, and that it was all a result of changing times in society. Women’s participation during the two world wars was greatly appreciated. The great war came to be seen as a great opportunity for women, however, when war first broke out, the war was seen a threat to women’s position1. There was a massive disruption of the industries in which women were mostly employed, such as dress-making and textiles.
Lazaro Aguilar The Identity of Latinas Over the past one hundred years women’s rights has grown exponentially, but one group women that still struggles today is Latinas. Traditional expectations of Latinas have limited their pursuit of higher education and leadership positions in the work force. Their family and cultural expectation are to be the house wives that care for their family and to be submissive to their husbands. Even though all these expectations have limited Latinas, they are making progress to change their identity through determination and support from the community. The traditional roles that are expected of Latinas in the family household are very historic compared to the way women are now.
The women did not have a voice on anything unless it was pertaining to family needs, and I feel that women should not be treated like someone that cannot express their opinion. In the seventeenth century the women could be married starting at the age of sixteen years old; nevertheless, the woman’s father had to choose whom she marries and she had to listen to her father’s regards about the marriage. Women back then were housewives they could not own property, but they had to make sure the one that their spouses owned were clean. Getting an education in the seventeenth century wasn’t a necessity the men felt as
Women colleges C. Coeducation Conclusion The Fight for Women’s Rights Throughout history women have been hidden behind their husbands. They were not able to have a say in the household, hold a job with reasonable hours, or be able to earn reasonable pay. Many women would not speak up for themselves. Men took pleasure in their control over them. Elizabeth Cady Stanton fought for women to have legal rights, have better jobs, and higher education, even though many men shunned her.