Progression: From Bigotry to Equality

1062 Words3 Pages

Over the span of many centuries, women have been undermined and ridiculed by the reality of a bitter society. A female’s sex generally predetermined the uneventful course she would be expected to take throughout her life. Promising opportunities were rare and for ages, ladies were confined to the home with little more than a puppet role to play. Common household chores were a part of the daily agenda, and unfailing devotion to a husband was anticipated (Cruea). The initiative push by The National Woman Suffrage Association provided a source of encouragement for women searching for impartial justice in basic aspects of everyday life. The women’s rights movement-though a long, rocky road-essentially led from bigotry to equality.
The average American woman’s role in society was not by any means influential prior to the women’s movement. Under the circumstances of the early 1800s, females held many obligations but were presented with far fewer choices. A lady’s primary purpose was to find a husband, bear children, and serve him for the remainder of her life. She worked within the home by cooking, cleaning, and caring for the children. Girls learned from their mothers the steps to taking care of their own household at an early age (Schneider). Women were controlled by all of the men in their lives including fathers, brothers, husbands, and other male relatives. Marriage was almost always a lifetime commitment. A husband had the rights to a woman’s inheritance and possessions. He essentially owned his wife; she could not obtain a divorce or flee an unhappy marriage. Single women were generally ridiculed and pitied by their communities (Novkov). There were three different classes for women, each with differences in daily, family, and w...

... middle of paper ...

...ns. They fought for their liberties despite the downpour of negativity and insults thrown at them throughout their promotion of the cause. Women’s rights proponents adjusted the view many Americans held. Women became bigger than a puppet figure in the household. They possessed jobs requiring masculine qualities, and struggled to achieve the rights they justly deserved in the labor field. They wrangled for their freedoms to vote, attain a divorce—freedoms to create choices and bright opportunities for themselves (Shah). They did not look to stop until they had achieved what they set out for, and for women of our modern day, the significance is unmatched. Females of the early 1800s have paved the way for a balanced society, equipped with equality among men and women alike, thus drastically changing the way life could have been had someone not step up to defend women.

Open Document