The Role of a Woman: Should Women Be Considered Equal to Men

The Role of a Woman: Should women be considered equal to men

Barbara Jordan, Janet Rino, Oprah Winfrey, and Condoleeza Rice; all women that have stepped outside of the traditional roles of womanhood and ascended to new levels of success paving the way for many women that followed in their footsteps. But how do we define the role of a woman? We must begin by examining the beginnings of the women’s suffrage effort. The women’s movement was a direct result of women’s involvement in the abolitionist movement. William H. Chafe states that women attempted to support the movement through their efforts but realized that they were suffering by many inequality issues. Many women were denied certain rights, (such as the ability to speak in public) that interfered with their active support of the movement. Women began to seek out ways to achieve their independence (Chafe 4). Thus the struggle for the equality of women’s rights began, and although the suffrage movement has ended, that same struggle of inequality between men and women is still an issue today.

Thesis: Although the women’s suffrage movement paved the way for great successes in women’s history, research shows that women will always be seen as unequal to men

During the time periods before women’s liberation, women were satisfied with fulfilling the traditional role of mother and nurturer. Many were satisfied with not participating in the labor force and did not see a need to expand their roles. As time went on and as societal trends began to change, so did the goals of women. Their curiosity prompted them to explore more diverse roles and discover other possibilities for their lives. The industrial revolution played a large role in sparking this curiosity.

The authors of Changing Lives of American women state that

The Industrial Revolution played a major role in the evolution of economic roles in America. The center of production moved from the home to the factory. Factory work required the labor of women and children, but as technology grew, immigrant labor was used more and less women and children labor (McLaughlin,