by Connor R Sullivan
In the United States, it has not been very long that women have had the rights that they currently enjoy. For many years, after the colonies became independent from Britain, women in the new country did not have the same rights that men did. Women were not allowed to vote until the mid 1900's and even then it was met with much resistance from many men in the United States. After the right to vote, women had to fight for their rights in the workplace. Even as late as the 1950s, women were expected to trade sewing tips and know everything from a sewing book because according to society, their place was in the home, doing housework. It is important to know where women came from in order to see where women are going in the future.
Female Virtues are of a Domestick turn. The Family is the proper Province for Private women to Shine in. If they must be showing their Zeal for the Publick, let it not be against those who are perhaps of the same Family, or at least of the same Religion or Nation, but against those who are the open, professed, undoubted Enemies of their Faith, Liberty, and Country.
—Joseph Addison (1672–1719)
Up until the mid 1900's, women had very few political rights. Women were not allowed to vote until Susan B. Anthony helped encourage women to fight for their rights in the political arena. Finally, women did earn the right to vote, but not much else came with that right. Even after this right was earned, women were still expected to continue with the traditional gender roles that had already been established; however, the right to vote gave way to the next big women's movement which would come in the 1960's.
The women's liberation movement was an important part of women's history in the United States. During this time women began to demand to be treated equally to men in the workplace and also to have the same opportunities as men at work. This movement helped women realize they were capable of being more than just the lower ranks of the business world. Women realized they had the ability to be doctors, lawyers, and even CEO's in their fields where men were the dominant force. Females in the United States started getting more educated in order to compete for jobs that were once only for men. Partly because of this 1960's movement, more women today are getting better and higher education, and they are working top-level jobs outside of the home.
Determination and skill come out of a depth of political and cultural experiences. women resist and are brave in the most ordinary-seeming situations: on a welfare line, after being told that medical benefits are going to cut; on a street late at night helping a sister who is being harassed; as a mother demanding that the hospital stop experimenting with sterilization on her daughters; one sister to another trying to convince her to stop shooting up because it’s giving the man a victory, swallowing up her life.
—Women of The Weather Underground. Ms. Magazine, p. 106 (February 1974)
Now, more than ever, there is a lot of pressure on women to be good mothers and good employees. There is a double standard for many women in society because now, not only are they expected to be good, full-time mothers, they are also expected to contribute to the household income by performing some kind of work outside of the home. It will be interesting to see how women will react to this double standard in the coming years. With current trends, women are really starting to put their careers first and then wait until they are older to have children, so they feel better about either giving up their careers completely or just taking a cut in work hours. Again, it will be interesting to see the future of women's society because of the current conflict that women face between balancing career and family. Connor R. Sullivan has an assistant at the office who purchased a sewing tips book to help with questions for her new hobby. His daughter recently ordered a sewing book online to help her improve her sewing skills.