What is a woman’s role in life? To tend to her family? To take care of her tired husband? To be subordinate to her husband? Or to be whatever she wants to be? In today’s day and age women have a lot more freedom than they did in previous decades. While their status has increased and role has changed, they depend on a multitude of factors. From when a woman lives, to where she lives can severely impact her status. Race also plays a significant role in a women’s status, not only her race, but also the race of men deciding her role.
Past Thoughts on Women’s roles
In the past, women were not held on as high a standard as men by any means. Women were seen as a subordinates to them, their only jobs were to take care of their husbands. Women were given nearly no rights, reintegrating their subordination. When women first arrived to America, the belief of new America was that strongly established gender roles helped maintain strong family structure.Such strong structures were necessary because the family was the basis for all other parts of life. The government, religion and community all worked through the nuclear family unit. Women were taught that their purposes in life were to To maintain household order, To encourage faith and moral development, and to be subordinate to men. Their main jobs were to take care of young children, prepare food, to direct the activities of indentured servants or slaves, and to perform all other household chores.Mothers were also often the primary spiritual instructors in the home, especially in the latter part of the Seventeenth Century. Meaning that they were the ones to teach the children about the church and religion. In Early America, a woman’s identity and property were always reliant on the men in her life. As a child, she would have been subordinate to her father, When married she would become subordinate to her husband. Women who lived in the country were expected to do their “productive” work inside the home. This work was usually done for the benefit of the family, and not the outside world. “Women’s Work” would have included activities such as spinning, weaving and churning. Women living in cities would have participated in similar activities, but also had the option of acquiring jobs in the community. These women would have jobs such as as seamstresses or nurses. (http://public.gettysburg.edu/~tshannon/341/sites/Gender%20and%20Sexuality/Gender%20Roles.htm ). In the latter 1800s however, women began to demand more equality, Piggy backing on debates about equality for races. In the 1920s, women gained the right to vote and as the world wars approached, they began to work. They worked in more serious jobs like factories and were better able to support their families. The rise of feminism began in the 1960s and 1970s. This confirmed the idea that women could do more than before, and now a family with two working parents became more familiar.(Mason, Karen Oppenheim, and Yu-Hsia Lu. “Attitudes toward Women's Familial Roles: Changes in the United States, 1977-1985.” Gender and Society, vol. 2, no. 1, 1988, pp. 39–57. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/190468.)
Present Thoughts on Women’s Roles
In today’s society, women are more equal to men as they have ever been. Women can vote, own property, get divorced, all rights women did not have about a hundred years ago. In America, we have females breaking into male-dominated industries, handling both work and family life while working high-power jobs, and even holding very important positions within the political sphere. The progress and differences from earlier America are incredible to see – and it appears that women are only getting stronger and more independent as time passes. (“The Role of Women in Today's Society.” Total Risk Administrators, 15 Feb. 2018, www.totalrisksa.co.za/129-the-role-of-women-in-today-s-society/.)
There were also many things that changed significantly from only 50 years ago. While women made up only about one-third of the workforce back in 1969, today women make up almost half of all workers in the United States. Women are also beginning to lead the country on the political sphere, a record number of women ran for public office in 2012, and a record-high percentage of women are serving in Congress. (Chu, Anna, and Charles Posner. “The State of Women in America.” Center for American Progress, www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/reports/2013/09/25/74836/the-state-of-women-in-america/.)Women were also more accepted in religious ways. New professional roles in churches and synoguages have opened up to women. And issues reguarding justice and equality have faced more consideration. (Hargrove, Barbara, et al. “Religion and the Changing Role of Women.” The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol. 480, 1985, pp. 117–131. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1045339.)
Women’s Rights in Different Places
Depending on where a women lives, she may have a different role that a woman living somewhere else. In Maryland women faced a multitude of struggles, as state legislators. At the time of 1972, no private women’s bathrooms existed in the Maryland State House, for the Maryland General Assembly. This made the women more accessible to lobbyists. This is why Maryland State delegate, Pauline Menes’s acceptance to chair the Ladies Restroom committee is is important. In late January 1972, Menes was involved in founding the Maryland Women’s Legislative Caucus. This group was the first of its kind in any state. They fought for things like- inclusive meetings that were originally all male, and things like tracking women’s bills of interest. (Novara, Elizabeth A. “Documenting Maryland Women State Legislators: The Politics of Collecting Women's Political Papers.” The American Archivist, vol. 76, no. 1, 2013, pp. 196–214. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43489655.) This shows that while Maryland did face some issues regarding one-hundred percent equality with men. In states in different areas that are more southern,for example, may hold different views about women. In Texas, for example, a study found that women in Texas are dealing with a much worse work environment than in other states,43/50. Texas also manages to pull an underwhelming ranking when it comes to women's education and health. A very important category and yet Texas sits close to the bottom, coming in at number 39. (Leicht, Angelica. “Texas Among the Worst for Gender Equality.” Houston Press, 22 May 2016, www.houstonpress.com/news/texas-among-the-worst-for-gender-equality-6738368.)
Women’s Roles in Different Races
In different races, Women have different roles. Depending on whether a person is black or white or hispanic ,etc, they will have different roles. Women that are white have historically been more of “stay at home” mother stereotype, while black women have been more of a provider stereotype. Even though there are small inconsistencies when it comes to race and women’s roles, almost all women face the same problems. Women face problems in the workforce with equality. No matter the race of the woman, they are most likely making 75 cents to a man’s dollar. That is not right. That is not fair whatsoever. Women also face ridicule regardless of race. Some men feel that if a woman has moved up the status ladder at a job, she must not have got it fairly. This does not depend on what a woman’s race is. The real difference between women of different races are their familiar roles and opportunities. Women that are white will most likely have better opportunities than those of a minority like black or hispanic. Especially if they come from a higher socio-economic standing.(Forste, Renata, and Kiira Fox. “Household Labor, Gender Roles, and Family Satisfaction: A Cross-National Comparison.” Journal of Comparative Family Studies, vol. 43, no. 5, 2012, pp. 613–631. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23267837.)
Conclusion
Overall the role of women have increased significantly in a small span of years. In the past women could not do basic human liberties like own property, get divorced, or vote. But as years passed their rights have changed for the better. For a span of 50 years, women have increased in status by an undeniable level. Women who live in different states may have significantly different roles and rights. Such as in Maryland vs. Texas where women have very different lives. Women doing something like a caucus to promote their agenda in Maryland and being severely under-represented in Texas. Women of different races also face different lives. White women for example may have more opportunity and black women may be under-appreciated and represented in society, but they can still face the same problems. They can face problems in the workforce as women of multiple races all face the issue of being underpaid for the same job a man would do. In the past, Women have faced significant hardship, and while women have come a very long way, There is still more work to be done. More work to ensure that they are 100% equal with their male counterparts.