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A Doll House Women's Rights

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Henrik Ibsen 's play, A Doll 's House, was published in 1879, and has since been a cause for controversy throughout the world. The play is based on a young family, the Helmers, living in Norway. The breadwinner of the family, Torvald, is a powerful man in the eye of the public because of his high position in his work. His obedient wife, Nora, is unable to form an opinion for herself due to her lack of education. After realizing that society is undermining her value, she chooses to leave her family, declaring that she no longer wants to be Torvald 's doll. After the play 's release, there was much controversy, as society began wondering what a woman 's position should be in the workforce and her everyday life. In comparing the way A Doll 's …show more content…

Women 's rights have been a controversial topic since the beggining of time. The 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote, was passed in the 1920 's. Despite this, women were still treated with disrespect and discrimination. Still, to this day, women face many double standards on women. According to the Center for American Women and Politics in 2015, there were 104 women in the US Congress, 20 women in the US Senate. That is an improvement from where the nation stood when Nora left her family. In act 1 of Ibsens play, Nora asks Torvald if she could borrow a little more money for Christmas, and Torvalds responds "That is like a woman!" Torvald constantly talks down to women, especially his wife, believing they should never hold power in their country. On the other hand, one could try and argue to say that women have not progressed as much as we should have. Although, there is always room for improvement I strongly believe that women have improved greatly, in all aspects. As Bidwell inquires, "While the gender pay gap has narrowed over time, women who work full-time today make 78 percent of what men make, on average." Women have improved tremendously in the wage gap, and that wage gap will diminish if women continue to march for their rights and fight

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