Betty Friedan's Equality For Women

Women’s rights and the way they live has changed greatly over the course of time. Back in the day, women did not have equal rights to men and they had to face many challenges in order to receive the jobs they wanted. Nowadays, women can get the same jobs as men and their power is much more appreciated. The 1930’s affected women in a positive way over time as they tried to work their way up in government positions, obtain more profitable jobs, and help provide for their families; but they still had a long ways to go getting equal rights to men.

The life of Women in the late 1800s. Life for women in the 1800s began to change as they pushed for more rights and equality. Still, men were seen as better than women, this way of thinking pushed women to break out from the limitations imposed on their sex. In the early 1800s women had virtually no rights and ultimately were not seen as people but they rather seen as items of possession, it wasn’t until the late 1800s that women started to gain more rights. The Civil War actually opened opportunities for women to gain more rights, because with many of the men gone to war women were left with the responsibilities that men usually fulfilled during that time period.

Women were expected to cook, take care of their children and maintain the household, but not much more. These standards created by societal boundaries caused women to feel insignificant, as if they had no say in anything. Thus, women wanted to be given equal rights that other individuals at the had. Doc A states, “we insist that they have immediate admission to all the rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of the United States” (Cult of Domesticity, Doc.

America gained its independence in 1776 with the expectation that every American should have liberty and equality. However, American women did not have the right to vote until 1920, which was almost more than 140 years after the United States was established. Women could do little to protect themselves and promote their careers due to being treated unequally and inferior to men. During the 19th and the early 20th century, women were working hard and fighting for gender equality, so that more and more women could live a better life with basic civil rights in their hometowns. In reality, women’s equality was challenged by traditional conventions in the fields of biological difference in sexes, religion and gender roles, and different perspectives towards these conventions of different people made women’s civil rights controversial.

During the 1930s it was a very difficult time for everyone. Many women who did not have a job were in a way forced to find a job because their husbands were laid off or suffered from a wage-cuts and couldn't support their families financially(). In other situations, men just walk out on their families and left the mother with no support.() Women in the 1930s were supposed to be home stayed moms; basically, that was staying at home taking care of the children, maintaining a good home, dress well for their husbands, cook, and set the table attractively.() For many women that were not a choice, they could have. Women had to set a foot outside and find a job because they knew that they had to help their husbands some way to pay bills and to maintain their homes. According to the 1930 Census, almost eleven million women were gainfully employed (Women in the Work Forced ). Despite the increase of employment women faced discrimination in the workforce such as

During the 1800’s, women were not seen as equals or even close to being considered equal to men. Women were expected to stay at home and take of the house and the children. With almost no rights available to them, women were solely dependent on men. Consequently, these things

American women in the late 1800’s received unequal treatment, even more so than in today’s society. Not only were they treated unfairly, they could not even vote until 1920. Moreover, they were unable to obtain certain jobs, and if they did get a job it was from the home. Furthermore, women had little to no say in their decisions. They often had their husbands either picked for them, or mutually agreed upon.

Women were to operate on a completely separate sphere than their husbands. A woman’s place according to the cult of domesticity was in the home where everything in her life would be completely privatized. Women had no say in anything politically, that was the man’s job. Women were to Under this thought process, women were “designed exclusively” to be good wives and mothers. Women were expected to be seen and not heard.

One of her main points that would eventually make its way to modern society was the ability for women to go to school and get an education similar to a man’s. She wanted women to be given the same chance as men so that they could prove their worth to everyone. In a scene she wanted the reputation of women being weak and emotional to be destroyed that way women could have rights. In her book written in 1792, “A Vindication for Women’s Rights.”, she wrote, “To render mankind more virtuous, and happier of course, both sexes must act from the same principal;... women must be allowed to find their virtue on knowledge, which is scarcely possible unless they be educated by the same pursuits [studies] as

Prejudice and fear are weak barriers against passions, which inherent in our nature and demanding only judicious training to form the ornament, and supply the best joys of our existence, are maddened into violence, varied with as pernicious indulgence.” (Doc #2) The efforts made by the feminist movement of the Antebellum-era set forth a precedent for the expansion of women’s rights in the decades following and up until present day. The patriarchal society that had controlled the nation since its birth was finally met with opposition from those who had been oppressed for so long. Through the dismissal of restrictive gender roles and expectations, the voices of women were finally allowed to influence decision making, and ultimately create changes that would promote equal opportunity for all

The Women’s Movement was a symbolic movement in achieving political and civil equality. It assisted women lifestyles in the United States, granting them equal opportunities as men. Therefore, the Equal Rights Amendment guaranteed equal rights with men and the Equal Pay Act guaranteed equal pay. But these opportunities rarely helped women since they were prohibited and discriminated from universities and communal school, young girls have to be taught at home by mothers due to the segregation from males and females. In the 1960s, organizations were predominantly constructed for women since they were driven away from society of men and can’t attend schools and colleges.

And while she was a teacher she called for equal payment for both men and women. As men had "no more brains than women". She finally found out that women were the reason for that as they did not own any money. It was because at that time, husbands controlled everything that their wives had.

This was another hit in the ballpark for women after putting a reform in the way she should dress. They argued that “She is as fully entitled as man to vote and to be eligible in office.. she is entitled to a voice in fixing the amount of taxes” (Document F). Opportunities for women were mainly just nursing, domestic services, and teaching it was limited, with their increase in intelligence they deserved to have their voices heard. What the women strived for back then has helped our world today because both sexes can achieve whatever dream they want and work for it.

Raisin in the Sun: Gender Roles Defied Following the event of World War Two, America during the 1950s was an era of economic prosperity. Male soldiers had just returned home from war to see America “at the summit of the world”(Churchill). Many Americans were confident that the future held nothing other than peace and prosperity, so they decided to start families. However, the 1950s was also a time of radical changes. Because most of the men in the family had departed to fight in the war, women were left at home to do the housework.

She reasoned that because men and women were both undeniably human beings, one should not be treated in a better way than the other. She wanted women to be allowed the rights of all men- life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness. In her influential work A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, she writes about how society views women as weak and treats them as inferior to men. She notices that any woman who tries to step out of society’s expectations will be looked down upon- “[Women] were made to be loved, and must not aim at respect, lest they should be hunted out of society as masculine.”