150th Anniversary of Feminism
Last year marked the 150th Anniversary of a movement by women to achieve full civil rights in this country. Over the past seven generations, dramatic social and legal changes have been accomplished that are now so accepted that they go unnoticed by people whose lives they have utterly changed. ( Eisenberg 1) Many people who have lived through the recent decades of this process have come to accept what has transpired. And younger people, for the most part, can hardly believe life was ever otherwise.
The staggering changes for women that have come about over those seven generations in family life, in religion, in government, in employment, in education -- these changes did not happen spontaneously. Women themselves made these changes happen, very deliberately. They have not been the passive recipients of miraculous change in laws and human nature. Seven generations of women have come together to affect these changes through meetings, public speaking and non-violent resistance. (Eisenberg 1)
During the early times of our country's history, men and women were actually considered partially equal. During this time, America was an agrarian society, which means that it was a farm-based country. There was much work to be done around the farm, and the chores were divided equally amongst the men and women. (K., Esther 1) The livelihood of the family relied on both the husband and the wife, so women's jobs were considered equally important to those of men.
When America became an industrialized country, women began to loose their importance. Since many products could be bought cheaply, there was no longer any need for women to make things such as butter, yarn and other household items. ...
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...n themselves, and what they stand for.
Bibliography:
Works Cited
Bouchier, David. The Feminist Challenge: The Movement for Women's Liberation in
Britian and the USA. New York: Schocken Books, 1984.
Eisenberg, Bonnie. Ruthsdotter, Mary. Living the Legacy: The Women's Rights
Movement 1848-1998. The National Women's History Project, 1998.
http://www.legacy98.org/
Hole, Judith. Rebirth of Feminism. New York: Quadrangle Books, 1971.
K., Esther. The Springing Up of Feminism: How it All Started. HERstory.
http://www.gurlpages.com/
Kosimer, Lucy. The New Feminism. New York: Franklin Watts, Inc., 1971.
Rosenberg, Rosalind. Divided Lives: American Women in the Twentieth Century.
New York: Hill and Wang, 1992.
A Day Without Feminism, By Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards (2000). I agree with the author; feminism has changed the lives of women. I think without feminism, women will still be invisible and they would have amount to anything in life. I find this article interesting, because it displays that women and feminism have come along since when things were limited for women to do, or have. Feminism open gates for women that presents a new world for them. “as a divorcee, she may be regarded as a family disgrace or as easy sexual prey.” (page 36). This fact has encouraged me to respect Women’s Rights even more. It is truly a blessing, that women can get a divorce in today’s society without being considered as an easy sexual prey.
Industrialization had a major impact on the lives of every American, including women. Before the era of industrialization, around the 1790's, a typical home scene depicted women carding and spinning while the man in the family weaves (Doc F). One statistic shows that men dominated women in the factory work, while women took over teaching and domestic services (Doc G). This information all relates to the changes in women because they were being discriminated against and given children's work while the men worked in factories all day. Women wanted to be given an equal chance, just as the men had been given.
As early as the nineteen fifties women were identified and targeted as a market. In a consumer culture the most important things are consumers. Advertisers convinced homemakers that in order to be a “good” wife and mother you must have their products and appliances to keep a clean and perfect home. The irony of this ploy is that consumers must have money to buy, and so trying to improve their quality as homemakers, off into the workforce women went. This paradox left women ...
Women faced multiple challenges to establish themselves as equals to men throughout history however, this would have never been possible if not for social progress movements to eliminate gender barriers. Consider the statements of “that is woman’s work” and “that is man’s work”. First, imagine the year is 1920; what vision instantly comes to your mind in what was woman’s work and what was man’s work? Now, fast forward to current day; what instantly comes to mind in consideration of what is woman’s and man’s work? The comparison of the differences of 1920 and 2014 is night and day. Crystal Eastman, a socialist feminist, observed that the 19th Amendment was an important first step but that what women really wanted was freedom and equality. She was campaigning for the equivalence of women in social, political, cultural, and economic status. In the essay titled "Now We Can Begin," she laid out a plan toward this goal that is still relevant today and shared her vision of life that she wanted for herself and women across the nation. (Eastman)
Liberty, Equality, and Power describes the trend of society in the past 3 centuries. Generally speaking, as time progresses more people receive more freedoms and rights; however, that is not the case for some groups in certain places, an example of this are African Americans. In the south for example just recently African Americans were not victims of segregation. This mistreatment of African Americans in elaborated upon in Anne Moody’s Coming of Age in Mississippi. Moody gives insight into what it was like for her to grow up in the south in the 1950’s. Anne Moody’s story embodies the transformation of civil rights in the history of America.
In conclusion, women throughout the decades have strived, from protesting to going on trials, to point out their rights. “Will women soon be treated equally as men?” A day when women and men having the same rights is still under way and has a far way to go as from the antebellum period. However, what makes women so unique, especially during this era is the numerous of contributions these respectful woman played a part of in order to see dramatic changes in America’s society. Some of the extraordinary ideas developed by them explains the success leading into what we call America today. Therefore, it is proven that women are certainly not helpless species, but are useful citizens who aroused much commitment for their “race” and nation.
“There are two kinds of spiritual law, two kinds of conscience, one in man and another, altogether different, in women. They do not understand each other; but in practical life the women is judged by man’s law, as though she were not a woman but a man.” Those words were said by the great Henrik Ibsen himself. Henrik Ibsen was born on March twentieth eighteen twenty eight in Skien, Norway. He grew up in poverty following the demise of his father’s business. He was exiled to Italy, and then moved on to Germany. Ibsen wrote A Doll’s House in 1879, while in Germany. He sought to question social practices in the real world, and women’s position in society. He was commonly known as “The Father of Modern Drama”. Ibsen’s A Doll’s House was published in 1879 and first performed shortly after in the same year and month. The play turned out to be very controversial, which lead Ibsen to write an alternate ending. The play was later turned into a television show and multiple movie adaptations. (Galens 106,107 ) Ibsen creates many static and strong characters that help convey his message. Nora Helmer is the play’s protagonist and wife of Torvald Helmer. Torvald, Nora’s husband, is shown to be extremely controlling and dominating. He often treats Nora like a doll or child. There are many relevant themes in the play such as: appearance and reality, pride, honor, sexism, and the search for self-identity. Nora’s life as a married woman is overall symbolized by a doll. Henrik Ibsen’s characters Nora, Christine, and Torvald perfectly depict the marital and societal trends of the 19th century; while further explaining the choices some made leading to a more feminist and gender equal nation.
In today’s times, women are more equal to men than they ever have been, even though differences like the wage gap exist. However, the rights of women have come a long way since even as little as a hundred years ago. How is this possible? Women have fought – and won – against the inequalities that they have faced. Powerful women like Carrie Chapman Catt, Ida Wells-Barnett, and Jane Addams who fought diligently during the Progressive Era in order to close the vast gap between men and women. It is because of these women, and so many others, that so many reforms came about since the Progressive Era.
I am going to start off by saying “I am not afraid of my truth anymore and I will not omit pieces of me to make you comfortable.” In the 1970’s “ when domestic violence isn’t a term , much less a crime, women are legally encouraged to to remain in abusive marriages.” I hate to say this, but that is true to this day in so many ways. I am speaking from experience.
To begin with, there are many events in United States history that have shaped our general understanding of women’s involvement in economics, politics, the debates of gender and sexuality, and so forth. Women for many centuries have not been seen as a significant part of history, however under thorough analyzation of certain events, there are many women and woman-based events responsible for the progressiveness we experience in our daily lives as men, women, children, and individuals altogether. Many of these events aid people today to reflect on the treatment of current individuals today and to raise awareness to significant issues that were not resolved or acknowledged in the past.
A huge part of the economical grow of the United States was the wealth being produced by the factories in New England. Women up until the factories started booming were seen as the child-bearer and were not allowed to have any kind of career. They were valued for factories because of their ability to do intricate work requiring dexterity and nimble fingers. "The Industrial Revolution has on the whole proved beneficial to women. It has resulted in greater leisure for women in the home and has relieved them from the drudgery and monotony that characterized much of the hand labour previously performed in connection with industrial work under the domestic system. For the woman workers outside the home it has resulted in better conditions, a greater variety of openings and an improved status" (Ivy Pinchbeck, Women Workers and the Industrial Revolution, 1750-1850, pg.4) The women could now make their own money and they didn’t have to live completely off their husbands. This allowed women to start thinking more freely and become a little bit more independent.
During the Great War and the huge amount of men that were deployed created the need to employ women in hospitals, factories, and offices. When the war ended the women would return home or do more traditional jobs such as teaching or shop work. “Also in the 1920s the number of women working raised by fifty percent.” They usually didn’t work if they were married because they were still sticking to the role of being stay at home moms while the husband worked and took care of the family financially. But among the single women there was a huge increase in employment. “Women were still not getting payed near as equally as men and were expected to quit their jobs if they married or pregnant.” Although women were still not getting payed as equally it was still a huge change for the women's
The 20th century brought a tidal wave of tolerance and equal rights for a diverse variety of people in the United States. When the century opened, women did not have an equal position with their male counter parts either in the public or private sectors of society. Women first received their right to vote with the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920, and the beginnings of an equal footing in the workplace during the obligatory utilization of American women as factory employees during the Second World War. Similarly, African Americans spent the 1950's and 60's fighting for their own basic civil rights that had been denied them, such as going to the school or restaurant of their choice. Or something as simple and unpretentious as where they were allowed to sit on a bus. However, by the end of the 20th Century, women, blacks, and other minorities could be found in the highest echelons of American Society. From the corporate offices of IBM, to the U.S. Supreme Court bench, an obvious ideological revolution bringing ...
In the past, many people believed that women’s exclusive responsibilities were to serve their husband, to be great mothers and to be the perfect wives. Those people considered women to be more appropriate for homemaking rather than to be involved in business or politics. This meant that women were not allowed to have a job, to own property or to enjoy the same major rights as men. The world is changing and so is the role of women in society. In today’s society, women have rights that they never had before and higher opportunities to succeed.
Before the movement in the seventies, women were treated unfairly throughout history. This means that women have been seen as the ones who need to rely on people and the men are the ones who are the head of houses. In 19th century America, men and women were put into different categories known as the separate spheres. The spheres were known as the public and private spheres; and it was easy for people to figure out which gender went to which sphere. The men were seen as the ones more mature to handle the public while the women were the ones who were in charge of the house, children, and different chores;