Essay/Term paper: Woman's struggle for independence

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Social Issues

Woman's Struggle for Independence


Women have had to fight for there independence. They have been repressed
for a long period of history. Only recently have women started to gain respect
as equals and individuals. Even today women are still looked down upon for there
sex.
From the begging of history women have been viewed as a lesser sex. In the
time Mesopotamia women we in charge of the children and the home. In Ancient
Egypt women had no power or authority. Women were viewed as property. The
Hebrews, alto respecting women, did not allow them to own any property or to
have an active place in government. In Rome women were not allowed to voice
there opinions. They were viewed as lesser beings, who's role in society was to
give birth and to take care of children. They were property of there husbands
and not viewed as individuals. There husband was there master and women we
practically slaves and was often mistreated by there husband. A servant to the
male sex.
During the middle ages women still has almost no rights. They still didn't
have the right to voice there opinion and were still viewed as property. If they
disobeyed there male role model they were punished. The art of the Renaissance
gave women some freedom to voice there opinion about the arts and social issues
as long as there opinions weren't very radical. However women were only the
objects in the arts. They were the models and not the creators. They were not
allowed to express themselves but only to be expressed by others. This lead into
the period of the Reformation, women were still viewed as property and the
homemakers. They did not really get there place in society.
The 17th century was the first real growth of the women's movement. Up
until this time women had been in the same category as property or slaves. But
as the French society moved toward revolution women began to speak of the
injustice against them. "The Vindication of Rights of Women (1792) called for
the extension of the principle of the liberty to women and urging that equal
public education be made available for men and women" (Perry, 289). This list of
the right that women were lacking was one of the first attempts at creating a
legislation that included women in its laws. During the scientific revolution
men were making discoveries and coming up with new ideas all over the world.
This was not possible for women because the education was not able to compare
with that of the men's. After roll models such as Tristan Flora women started
trying harder to become a part of the society. They fought so that they could be
intellectual individuals, and not just slaves to the male dominated society.
They started thinking for themselves, having there own thoughts and ideas. In
the modern 20th century women used the example of these women as arguments to
push there cause.
When the idea of Nationalism began bringing countries together it helped
women slightly. Yet still did not make them there equality to men. In the time
of the Industrial Revolution women began receiving jobs in factories. Alto they
were still not treated as equals. They were paid significantly less than men for
the same days work. The majority of women still stayed at home and took care of
the household and children. The idea of socialism brought women more respect.
With the idea of socialism women gained some standing in society as close equals
to men. In a socialistic society everyone is equal, including women. This idea
of equality women in the past could not even in vision. As the battle for
women's rights continued they gained the right in the United States to live
freely. They could now own land and participate in the government. At the end of
the 19th century women began to become educated. They began to prove there
intellectual equality to men. As World War I came around women began to enter
the workforce. With the men being killed in time of war it left a limited number
of men to work in the factories. Women began to take over these roles. They were
finally given responsibility and respect for there work.
By the time of World War II women had proven themselves in the workforce.
They now could find employment, alto there was still discrimination. During the
1950's woman began to fight for liberation in the workforce. They wanted more
involvement in the work place. Women now wanted to go to college, support
themselves, and fight for there country. They were no longer satisfied with
raising a family. A woman could have a career and be a mother to her children.
They became independent members of society. With there new position of education
and career orientation, it gave a sense that men and women were truly equal.
Alto women are gaining influence they still feel discriminated against
because of there sex. There are many examples of women in high positions and
women holding power. Queen Elizabeth I is one example of a woman in a position
of power. These cases of women in power have rarely occurred in history. But
even today in the 20th century there have been very few women officials. It
seems most of the women who have achieved a position of power, achieved it
because of there marriage to an influential man. Take any United States
presidents wife for example. Women such as these have a great deal of power and
influation, but they wouldn't have this if it wasn't for there husbands. The
idea that a woman can work and be just as productive as a man a receive the same
rewards happens to a point. The majority of the heads of corporations are men,
women make a lesser salary and aren't promoted as much as men. As a woman rises
in power in a company she usually gets to a point and then the promotions stop.
This event of a sudden stop in promotion has been called "The Glass Ceiling
effect" (Lunt). This can only be explained as women are still being treated as a
lesser being to men.
The reason why women are inferior to men is still unknown. It has been
around for as long as men and women have walked the earth. Hopefully soon it
will disappear completely and we can all be viewed as equals.

Works Cited and Works Consulted

Golden, Richard and Thomas Kuehn. Western Societies. New York: St. Martin's
Press, 1993.

Lowenthal, David. The Past and Foreign Country. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1985. Lunt, Richard. Lectures.

Perry, Marvin. Western Civilizations. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1993.