StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

The Changing Role of Women in the American Family - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
This paper explores the role of women in the American family and its development over time. The ideal American woman at the onset of the 20th Century was “a sheltered lady, swathed in silk and muslin and in innocence and purity, but nowadays this is not the case…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER92.1% of users find it useful
The Changing Role of Women in the American Family
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The Changing Role of Women in the American Family"

Download file to see previous pages

Everything seemed to conspire to put women in their place, physically, emotionally and economically, in fact, confine them to one place - the home. In the 1830s, for example, not one college or university would admit women. A little later, a number of educational institutions were set up that catered for women, but these were no more than finishing schools, teaching feminine arts.5 At around this period, the first women activists in the US made their presence felt, when Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and Susan B.

Anthony put together the first women's rights convention, which came up with the historic Declaration of Sentiments. The organized demand for women's equality was on its way, as more and more women across the US picked up the fight. Now, in the 21st century, the battle seems almost to be won, but not every woman wants to be in a high-flying, powerful career. The rights of those who do not want to follow such a course are equally valid, the fight for equal rights included the entitlement of all women to chose how to live in a way which makes for fulfillment.

Before presenting my factual research findings, which I consider go some way to support my argument; that the impetus for change was not entirely due to feminist activity, but to a huge variety of historical and socio-economic factors, I will first examine my primary sources. I believe that these show, by raising interesting questions and linking to the reality of womens' lives today, that women make their own choices where possible, choices not always conforming to feminist ideology. The selection of these novels was not designed to belittle the great work and dedication of those who sought to improve women's lives, but to present.

This paper focuses on the role of a woman in the American family. The role that women perform in the American family has changed dramatically in the last 100 years, influencing an equally pervasive makeover in society. This is the main topic of this paper, which will attempt to sketch some of the major changes that led to the social, political and economic emancipation of the American women. The author does not believe that the inter-relations and implications of these changes are fully understood as yet.

Author considers that the material from the research supports and emphasizes the point that, with or without the women’s rights movement, women would still be enjoying some of the freedom and parity with men that they do today. This is the main argument presented here: that the political pressures brought on by the women’s rights movement, from the abolitionists and suffragettes in the 1830s to the feminists of later years, only added sound and color to the equal rights campaign. The movement only served to call attention to the need for such changes.

But the impetus for the actual changes sprang from wars, depression and industrialization, economic prosperity, the advances of science and technology, changes in eating habits, the advent of birth control pills, etc. Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that the feminists gave a voice to millions, despite in-fighting and divisions, media ridicule and so forth; their contribution was very important in bringing about changes to the female role.

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“The Changing Role of Women in the American Family Essay”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/sociology/1533534-the-changing-role-of-women-in-the-american-family
(The Changing Role of Women in the American Family Essay)
https://studentshare.org/sociology/1533534-the-changing-role-of-women-in-the-american-family.
“The Changing Role of Women in the American Family Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/sociology/1533534-the-changing-role-of-women-in-the-american-family.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The Changing Role of Women in the American Family

America: tracing the progress of women

This research paper dwell on the issues and challenges being faced by women in the United States in terms of legal system, as well as in corporate lives, because of the perception of society that women are more family oriented and they cannot work competitively.... There are lot of issues and challenges being faced by women in the United States in terms of legal system, as well as in corporate lives.... The country I have selected is the United States of America which is known for its emancipation of women....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Changes in American Family during World War II

First, the occurrence of the World War II served to uplift the status of women in the american society, such that they gained respect and recognition as an important part of the societal structure (Lamana and Riedmann 13).... The role of women in wars had previously started being defined during the First World War, but it became even more pronounced during World War II, when their previous roles in the Army and the war itself definitely changed (Bryant 20).... The changes introduced in the american social system during the World War II still define the modern family and social structure....
7 Pages (1750 words) Research Paper

Gender roles in the family: Traditional vs. Modern

Let's discuss the role of women in the traditional families.... Before going into the details of role of women in traditional and modern families, let's get a better understanding of what a traditional family actually is.... In a traditional family system, the role of men is to earn money but it is the role of women to manage the money earned by men.... Some of the key roles and responsibilities of women belonging to traditional families include taking care of home, taking care of children, developing and maintaining a bond among relations, and making an appropriate financial budget regarding various expenditures....
5 Pages (1250 words) Research Paper

Gender Stereotyping of American First Ladies

It is mentioned that in contemporary America there are many stereotypes of women in the media,  but one that appears to be changing is that of the President's wife.... The author of this paper "Gender Stereotyping of american First Ladies" touches upon the gender stereotypes in the USA elite.... The First Lady offers the media an ideal successful american woman, a stereotype that represents what  american woman should aspire to be....
4 Pages (1000 words) Term Paper

The Changing Native American Women's Role

The purpose of this statement is to emphasize that the job of women in the workplace has turned out to be more dominant.... The range of this story comprises the development of women in the United States workforce mostly pertaining to the past two to five years, while shedding light on the progression women have made in comparison among past decades.... “Women who have achieved great stature in government, industry, sports, and the media have become… And yet, it appears that there is no clear public understanding of the realities of women's and girls' lives in this country” (Inashaza, 2006). The main objective of the study here is to identify the various roles taken up by the American women in the The speed and degree of progression that women have brought in the american workforce to arrive at the pinnacle of the corporate society is greatly recognized....
5 Pages (1250 words) Research Paper

The Role of Women in America

"The role of women in America" paper takes a look at the women of America and how they have outlined their needs and requirements with the changing times, as an effort has been made to incorporate the most pressing essentials that the women of America face in the time and age of today.... In essence, the role of women within America has exponentially increased with the passage of time, which is a very positive factor if seen within the thick of things as these have unfolded time and time again....
5 Pages (1250 words) Coursework

Changing American Icons in Popular Culture

In looking at both Better Homes and Gardens issues, it can be seen that the american icon is one that defines cultural identity by making a statement of personal identity within the home.... This essay "Changing American Icons in Popular Culture" discusses the changing American icons in popular culture that leads to changing themes in gender, social identity, popular culture and changes in the representation of home life.... nbsp; … the changing American icons in popular culture show differences between the 1950s and the current time frame....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

American Social Environment

The paper "American Social Environment" states that in the american culture, role reversals and role-subversions is encouraged since the roles played by each gender are already set and defined.... They are models and patterns that were collectively inherited and universally accommodated in the american psyche.... It has been able to reveal that the american culture views that a morally upright woman makes up a good marriage.... American archetype refers to the original model of the american look and ways of conduct from which all the things of the same kind were based on....
6 Pages (1500 words) Assignment
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us