Women in the 1990's
In today’s technological society it is hard to imagine that trivial things from the past like discrimination or prejudice are still present, but they are. Yes we still have racism, but for the most part this is only a problem of the less educated and vocal minority. There is a different prejudice that is deep rooted in this land of freedom and prosperity. This prejudice is sexism.
The basic definition of sexism is when a person of either sex is discriminated against in any way based on their gender. But history has recorded that men, usual in every society in this world, have always been the dominant sex and women have taken a lower role. This has been especially true in the United States throughout its history. Women always seemed to be the one who took care of the children and home as the men went to work and earned a living. Women do not have the choice to give birth to children, but they should have a choice in whether they are the primary care givers to that child. Betty Friedan, a well-known feminist, writes, “We are still very mother-centered. It’s still ‘mother, mother, mother,’ when it really should be ‘mother, father, society.’”1 What she means by this is that society still has not overcome the discriminatory thought that the mother should not work and stay home with the kids.
Although this is very deep rooted, women in today’s society are making advancements, in part because of the efforts of Betty Friedan. Friedan wrote the Feminist Mystique, a book about women's roles in society in the 1950's. This book is often reviered as the most influential piece of women's rights which sparked the movement for change. In 1966, Friedan cofounded a organization called NOW, and was named the presid...
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...nt aspects were discussed and brought to the world’s attention. The attention that it received helped to bring about awareness of women’s rights all over the world. Not only did it bring about awareness of inequality; it helped to set the standards and goals which they wanted to achieve. They discussed issues ranging from abortion to lesbian right's .3
As you can see, there are many changes being brought about in the 1990’s to reform the way women are treated and looked upon in a sexist world society ruled by men. Although these groups and individuals have not yet reached their final goal of equality for all, they have got the message out that this is unacceptable. Nothing happens overnight, there are many steps to reform and these groups are on the right path. They are starting to get societies to see that women are human too and they should be treated as equal.
The National Organization for Women’s 1966 Statement of Purpose was written by Betty Friedan, whose published book “The Feminist Mystique” in 1963 have made a big impact on American women at that time. This source is effective in using the rhetorical strategies such as ethos, pathos, and logos to convince the public to take action to help women can be treated more equally and can take part in any aspects of society, especially their privileges and responsibilities should be fair and equal in compare with men.
After the success of antislavery movement in the early nineteenth century, activist women in the United States took another step toward claiming themselves a voice in politics. They were known as the suffragists. It took those women a lot of efforts and some decades to seek for the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. In her essay “The Next Generation of Suffragists: Harriot Stanton Blatch and Grassroots Politics,” Ellen Carol Dubois notes some hardships American suffragists faced in order to achieve the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. Along with that essay, the film Iron-Jawed Angels somehow helps to paint a vivid image of the obstacles in the fight for women’s suffrage. In the essay “Gender at Work: The Sexual Division of Labor during World War II,” Ruth Milkman highlights the segregation between men and women at works during wartime some decades after the success of women suffrage movement. Similarly, women in the Glamour Girls of 1943 were segregated by men that they could only do the jobs temporarily and would not able to go back to work once the war over. In other words, many American women did help to claim themselves a voice by voting and giving hands in World War II but they were not fully great enough to change the public eyes about women.
Sexism is a highly talked about issue read about online, seen in the news, and experienced in the day to day lives of many. The importance of this issue can be found in many writings. Authors such as Sandra Cisneros, Linda Hasselstrom, and Judy Brady have all discussed the topic of sexism in writings and how they affected their lives. Although each writer addresses the issue of sexism, each author confronts a different type of sexism; the kind we are born into, the kind we learn growing up, and the kind that is accepted by society at the end of the day.
The “Feminine Mystique” is a highly influential book in the early second wave feminism movement. It is said that it helped shaped the demands of the second wave by insisting for the right to work outside the home, and to be paid equally; the right for reproductive freedom; the demand that women should not be expected to have children and be mothers if they do not want to. Betty Friedan addresses “the problem that has no name” which is the women who are highly educated, suburban housewives that are bored and want something “more” in their life. This is the point where women knew we needed a second wave. Women’s role had gone backwards and they were beginning to realize that they were all experiencing the same “problem that has no name”. “The
To get the answer to her question, she began to survey women of Smith College. Her findings lead to the writing of her first book, The Feminine Mystique. The book uses other women’s personal experiences along with her own experiences to describes the idea behind being a feminist. “At every step of the way, the feminists had to fight the conception that they were violating the God-given nature of woman… The image of the feminists as inhuman, fiery man-eater, whether expressed as an offense against God or in the modern terms of sexual perversion, is not unlike the stereotype of the Negro as a primitive animal or the union member as an anarchist” (86-87). That image of women that has been created by society and the same idea applies to race and how it is something that is so prone to society about things no one can change. Feminists were the ones who were able to fight for their rights even though some may believe that isn't what women are made to be but Betty Friedan did, which motivated her to fight for women’s rights in the second wave feminist movement. She was able to accomplish helping more women fight for their rights and set the ground for the women fighting
But when the “Women’s Movement,” is referred to, one would most likely think about the strides taken during the 1960’s for equal treatment of women. The sixties started off with a bang for women, as the Food and Drug Administration approved birth control pills, President John F. Kennedy established the President's Commission on the Status of Women and appointed Eleanor Roosevelt as chairwoman, and Betty Friedan published her famous and groundbreaking book, “The Feminine Mystique” (Imbornoni). The Women’s Movement of the 1960’s was a ground-breaking part of American history because along with African-Americans another minority group stood up for equality, women were finished with being complacent, and it changed women’s lives today.
According to Microsoft Research, “By 2018, there will be 1.4 million open technology jobs in the U.S. and, at the current rate of students graduating with degrees in computer science, only 29% of applicants will be women.” The fight for women's rights has been going on for more than 100 years, and women today continue to face discrimination in their daily lives. An important person in fighting for women’s rights was Betty Friedan, who was born on February 4, 1921 in Peoria, Illinois. As a writer, feminist, and women’s rights activist, Friedan published her book The Feminine Mystique in 1963, which began her journey of fighting for women’s rights. The book Race presents important
In a quest for equal rights with their male counterparts the feminist movement has opened new opportunities for women in many societies around the world. (Golombisky 90). Feminist’s are pioneering the way for women’s rights, challenging long standing cultural beliefs, creating greater access to education and the political arenas, and initiating change for new ideals. (Golmbisky 90) Many of the once male dominated fields of the workforce now include women based upon the efforts of individuals and a plethora women’s groups and organizations. (Golombskiy 93).
These ideals have been reinstated in the most familiar creation stories, in government policies throughout history, and are now being continued in camouflaged customs like benevolent sexism. Some women are contributing to the discrimination against themselves and other women. The prevention of equality between men and women has had many faces throughout our history but recognizing the current problems in our culture and making changes is our best chance for true equality.
Betty Friedan was tremendously involved in providing a voice for woman all around the world. Betty’s passion for supporting women’s rights began during the 1940’s and 1950’s when she became apart of a group of supporters who campaigned against racism and women’s rights. She also published many articles for newspapers that focused on the issues of women’s rights. Betty Friedan wrote a book titled, The Feminine Mystique, which focused on the roles of women in society. Her book was remarkably successful. In 1966, Friedan took part in creating the National Organization for Women in order to create equality for all females. Betty was president of NOW from 1966 to 1970. Betty established NOW in order to end sex segregated job advertisements, men only bars and clubs, and advocating for affordable childcare. She motivated and encouraged thousands of women to join the movement. In ...
Women – beautiful, strong matriarchal forces that drive and define a portion of the society in which we live – are poised and confident individuals who embody the essence of determination, ambition, beauty, and character. Incomprehensible and extraordinary, women are persons who possess an immense amount of depth, culture, and sophistication. Society’s incapability of understanding the frame of mind and diversity that exists within the female population has created a need to condemn the method in which women think and feel, therefore causing the rise of “male-over-female” domination – sexism. Sexism is society’s most common form of discrimination; the need to have gender based separation reveals our culture’s reluctance to embrace new ideas, people, and concepts. This is common in various aspects of human life – jobs, households, sports, and the most widespread – the media. In the media, sexism is revealed through the various submissive, sometimes foolish, and powerless roles played by female models; because of these roles women have become overlooked, ignored, disregarded – easy to look at, but so hard to see.
...set examples for future generations and have shed light on the feminist movement in the U.S.
Throughout the years, sexism has been founded as a major issue for society. Sexism is the discrimination on sex or gender, largely affecting women and girls. Sexism can be believed that one sex is superior and more valuable than the other sex. As time passed by, sexism has expanded to include the oppression of any sex, like men, intersexual people, and transgender people. Sexist conducts and perspectives can extend stereotypes of gender roles and lead to the proposition of double standards, Researching the topic of sexism will allow us to see how it has affected the female population and the thoughts of humans. Sexism is everywhere and it affects everybody, we can see by the way is lurks in today's society, and by how it impacts world. sexism
Sexism or gender discrimination, as many have begun to call it, is known to be a form of prejudice based on the ideology of one gender/sex being superior to the other, restraining what men and boys are “allowed to do” and what women and girls “are allowed to do”, however, it is more often affecting the later sex. This is due to women being seen of as the weaker sex and less capable than men, especially in the realm of logic and rational reasoning only able to nurture and care.This can be furthered to a more extreme hatred or distrust of women called misogyny. It can be seen throughout the world everyday through mediums such as domestic violence, rape and the commodification of women and their bodies, where they are viewed as nothing but property
For a long time women were seen as being either a mother, a wife, or both. A woman who decided she wanted a role outside the home was looked upon as “consciously [choosing] a life” which was unacceptable to most people (Harris, McNamara 173). The wife or mother was bound to the house. Her main jobs were to make sure the house was cleaned, the children were fed, and her husband was happy (Brady 361). She never contemplated on doing anything more. She had no place in the outside world. It was not that the female was dumb, but that she was not up to date when it came to the outside world. For decades the woman was oppressed and seen as inferior compared to men. Their so called delicate bodies were only built for child bearing. Their minds were not fluid enough to retain the instruction that went along with the processes that lead to working. To the men, women were not anatomically built for such pressures. But the twenty-first century women had something to prove.