Historical Developments That Led to the Status of Women in Society Today - Case Study Example

While women once had few life options beyond isolation in the domestic sphere, what historical developments presented new opportunities for women in society? NAME COURSE NAME AND NUMBER INSTRUCTORS NAME 07/11/2011 Whilst America is widely considered to be a country with one of the highest rates of equal opportunities, it has not always been that way. Prior to the Civil War, women were often confined to the domestic sphere, and were victim of accusations of witchcraft. Since then, women in society have been part of reform movements, suffrage, and other historical developments that have led to the status of women that is evident today. Women have been awarded bachelors degrees for centuries, have the vote, and are not generally victimized in society. Women can now hold any position available to a man, take the same degree courses, and vote in the same elections as men, although there are still some inequalities present. This paper will look at the historical developments that have led to the status of women in society today, including the Seneca Falls convention and the provision of education for women. It will examine how these developments have led to new opportunities for women in the United States, so that now more women than ever have a career (Baker, 1984). It is these historical developments, amongst others, that have allowed women to move out of the domestic sphere and into the working world. 18th Century America and the Salem Witch Trials The situation for women in the late 17th and early 18th centuries is where the discussion of women in the United States will begin. Women at this time were expected to be confined to the domestic sphere and did not generally hold down jobs in the same way that men did. In some states, women did have the ability to vote but these rights were generally lost over the coming years, in some cases because married women did not legally have ownership of anything and therefore were not considered as individuals (Matthaei, 1982). They were expected to run the household, and did not have any educational qualifications (Evans, 1997). Families were also generally larger in this era than they are today, and women were expected to care for their children as part of their homely role. Further than this, childbirth was also far more dangerous and many women did not survive pregnancy because of the poor health provisions (Rosen, 1973). Women of the time were often taught to read for Bible reading purposes, but there was no desire to teach women how to write and there was no formal education for females (Matthaei, 1982). Women were also viewed as being under the control of their father or their husband, or another male figure if these werent applicable, often being traded for furthering the family status. These problems were further compounded by the fact that the highly Puritanical society in some areas saw females as being more prone to sin than men, casting a shadow over the role of women in society. It was this view that led to the events of the Salem Witch Trials, in which 13 women were hanged. It must be noted here that men were also victim of the accusations, but they were aimed primarily at women. This further highlights the status of women as inferior within the society, and provides a good starting point to show just how far women have moved from this original starting point and how much has been gained for womens rights. It is also interesting to note the role of women in the Revolutionary War. Women were not permitted to fight (although one, Deborah Samson, did fight by disguising herself as a man) but they were permitted to have roles as nurses and cooks, as well as other secondary roles (Segal, 1981). Women were not permitted into the army until much later, but it is interesting that they were allowed to participate in some activities, which would be unheard of in many other countries at the time. It was this Revolution that brought about the idea of Republican Motherhood, placing women in the role of correctly bringing up the children in order for society to succeed (Baker, 1984), again defining women as purely domestic creatures. The Troy Female Seminary and Educational Developments In 1814, the first ever educational establishment designed at bringing the educational provisions for women into line with that of men was established; the Middlebury Female Seminary (Segal, 1981). The idea of the Seminary was to provide women with education in maths and sciences like their male counterparts, rather than focusing on needlework and other such female classes. This Seminary was later moved to the town of Troy, and in 1921 the Troy Female Seminary was established and officially gave women the same educational provisions as men. However, it must be noted that this Seminary was aimed at women of means, and there were no provisions for other girls and women who did not fall within this category (Segal, 1981). The school was considered a great success and still exists today under the name The Emma Willard School, after its founder. This was one of the major developments that allowed women beyond the domestic sphere because it provided women with education in the sciences, maths and languages so that they could be equally educated. This triumph was followed swiftly by the first graduation with a bachelors degree of three women in 1841 from Oberlin College, the first co-educational post-secondary establishment in the country (Matthaei, 1982). Some women at least could now participate in some activities generally reserved for men prior to this date, although women were still expected to get married and the vote was not available in many areas. Education for women became part of the political agenda for the first time, opening up options for women of means, although jobs for women were still not common and this education did not necessarily lead to a career. This was a monumental advance that was not seen in many other countries at the time, showing that the United States was beginning to make huge leaps for womens rights before education was available to women elsewhere. 19th Century and Reform Movements Another important development in the history of American women was the 19th century reform movements. Many women, including African-American women, were actively involved in the fight for the abolition of slavery (Baker, 1984). There was even an Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women, showing that women were afforded at least some ability to speak on political issues. However, after the first meeting of this convention, the women left to verbal and physical abuse (Evans, 1997), highlighting that some were still not comfortable with this political intrusion of women. Women also gave lectures on the topic, although these again were not always well received by others. It is evident from this that women were beginning to move out of the domestic sphere and into the political, and this set the scene for many of the following achievements of women. The 19th century also brought the American Civil War, in which many more women (estimated to be around 300) disguised themselves as men to take part in the combat. It was evidently becoming more desirable to women to be able to leave the home and engage in the same activities as men, although they were still not officially allowed into the army. As with the Revolutionary War, women were allowed to be nurses, showing that women were beginning to be allowed more jobs than in the past, escaping the domestic sphere further (Baker, 1984). 1891 also brought the appointment of Americas first ever female police officer in Chicago, again highlighting the increase in jobs available for women in the 19th century, something that has been exponentially increasing since this era. In 1866, the first ever Equal Rights Association was formed, attempting to give black and white men and women the right to vote, although this fight remained unsuccessful for some time. The first ever woman ran for president, Victoria Woodhull, (Baker, 1984) although she was not allowed to vote herself. Again, these developments show women entering the political sphere, albeit unsuccessfully, and were not constrained by their fathers and husbands to follow exactly the same path as previous generations of women. Seneca Falls Convention The Seneca Falls Convention was the first womens rights convention to be held in the United States and was held in 1848.. Estimates have suggested that over 300 men and women attended the event, highlighting the growing importance of womens issues at the time (Evans, 1997). The topics discussed at this convention primarily focused on ownership of wages and property by women, something that was not currently available. Wages and property generally belonged to the husband of a married women, even if she personally earned the money. From here, womens rights conventions began to be held regularly on a local and national scale (Evans, 1997), again highlighting the fact that women were becoming more frustrated with their role as home maker and wishing to enter the economic sphere by owning property and earning their own money. It can be assumed that these conventions were not particularly popular with some people of the time, as many of the motions on voting and rights were not actually passed in the constitution for many decades after this first convention. Early 20th Century and Womens Suffrage Whilst women were gaining more and more working positions, with women now able to become doctors, dentists, police officers and more, they were still not able to vote (Baker, 1984). Although movements to bring the vote to women had begun in the 19th century, the movement really got under way in the early parts of the 20th century. A parade was held for the movement in 1913, focusing on the importance of uniting women in this movement. In 1917, women began to picked the White House fighting for an amendment to the constitution that would allow womens suffrage. Many of the women present were arrested for trivial reasons, such as preventing traffic flow, showing that society was still not ready to accept the fight for womens suffrage in many cases. Many more women were sent to jail in the coming weeks and months, and they were often treated with violence and subject to awful conditions. Again, this suggests that society still felt uncomfortable with the idea of womens suffrage and women were often still controlled physically, despite the illegality of wife-beating brought about in 1871 (Baker, 1984). Some women attempted to continue the fight for suffrage with hunger strikes, but these women were often brutally force-fed, again suggesting the need for physical violence against women. It has also been suggested that many women lost their clothes in the jailing process and were forced to make do with a blanket or other insufficient means for warmth. Women were obviously still seen as sexual objects and evil when they were connected with this fight for inclusion into the physical sphere. It was not all worthless, though. In 1917, Jeannette Rankin became the first woman to be elected into the House of Representatives. Women were now beginning to make more and more entries into politics, and this was a major turning point in history, giving women more and more opportunities outside of a domestic life. In 1920, women finally won their fight for suffrage and were able to vote. There was fierce opposition to this, particularly from the alcohol industry who feared that women were more likely to pass Prohibition (Segal, 1981) and thus cause a loss in profits. Women were here again seen as domestic and less likely to approve of drinking, and despite their significant victory in attaining suffrage there were still significant breakthroughs that needed to be achieved before women were considered totally equal and given more opportunities outside of the home. Besides the fight for suffrage, the early parts of the 20th century also brought breakthroughs concerning sexual health and contraception for women. Margaret Sanger began spreading information about birth control and sexually transmitted diseases from 1910 onwards (Rosen, 1973), despite the fact that such information was illegal. Because of the illegality of spreading this information, she was forced to leave for England and remained exiled until 1915. Women were not supposed to be informed of these sexual matters and were evidently discourage from discussing them, despite the benefits to health. Whilst in exile, Sanger visited Holland and became inspired by the sexual health clinics she had seen there, returning to open a similar one in the United States in 1916. This clinic was closed within 9 days and Sanger was arrested, again suggesting that women were seen as too delicate to be involved in such matters (Evans, 1997). Despite this failure, birth control and womens health issues were brought into the public sphere by these events. Women began to question their role as child bearer and saw an opportunity for them to leave the domestic sphere by being able to control the amount of time they would have to spend within the confines of the household. World War I and Beyond World War I brought one of the most critical developments for women. America entered the war in 1917 and it was the very first American war in which women were officially allowed to enter the military (Rosen, 1973). The Army and Navy Nurse Corps were also consistently providing nurses to the cause, and these remained all female until the 1950s. Women were also allowed to enter more professions at home in order to free up men for the front lines, with telephone operators becoming predominantly women from this time onwards (Matthaei, 1982). Again, this historical development gave many different career opportunities for women. However, after the First World War, women were not allowed to join the military again until World War II, except as nurses. This was another setback for women, but it does show a considerable change in the attitudes towards women. The first female Marine was also enlisted in 1918, suggesting that women were allowed to join a vast variety of combat positions, as were men (Matthaei, 1982). Women were beginning to lose the tag of being physically inferior to men. The end of the First World War also brought about the prominence of the new woman, engaging in activities seen previously as the mans domain; smoking and drinking in public, casual sex and gambling. This was not completely socially acceptable but the sheer number of women that presented themselves in this way again led to these activities being seen less and less as male. Women also began to abandon the typically female look gained by corsets, often preferring the long-limbed slender body shape (Freedman, 1974). Women began engaging in this kind of fashion for the first time, and women were able to cultivate their own look, rather than trying to be seen as attractive to men. These flappers also began wearing shorter skirts, feeling that these were empowering. This may seem like a minor triumph for women, but it allowed them to escape the typical delicate female image and this development may have allowed women to see themselves as free and not dictated by men. This would have allowed them more confidence to engage in activities outside of the domestic sphere, getting jobs and also beginning to vote. Modern Woman Since the 1920s, there have been an astonishing amount of achievements for women in the United States, Women began to have more opportunities in society than ever before. 1921 brought Edith Wharton recognition as a writer, being the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize (see Wharton, 2007). The first woman was elected to the U.S. Senate. The first birth control clinics began to appear in many cities, allowing women to control their own menstruation and the number of children they had, putting them on a par with men for the first time. This also allowed women to have more of a career because they were not necessarily expected to leave to have children (Baker, 1984). Women were also becoming more prominent in the sporting professions, with women competing in the Olympics and Gertrude Ederle becoming the first woman to swim across the English Channel in 1926. Education for women was also becoming more common, with 39% of college degrees being awarded to women in 1928, putting them almost equal in qualifications as men. By the time that World War II started, a quarter of the workforce was female, a trend that has been rising since then. In the 1960s, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission began to fight against sex discrimination in the workplace, allowing women to enter any of the careers previously available only for women. Today, women hold more college places than men (Evans, 1997), and are found in every career, although discrepancies in wages often still exist. Women have their own magazines, music scenes and culture, and are still able to participate in that of men (Evans, 1997). Women are also allowed to participate in same-sex unions in many states, exactly the same as men, one of the more interesting developments for women in the social sphere of the 21st century. Hillary Clinton became the first woman to win a Presidential Primary, showing that the American public are not opposed to having a female president, something that will surely occur within the next century. All of these combined show that women have come a long way and will continue to fight for equal opportunities and equal rights, and are happy with their position within society in the majority of cases. Conclusion In conclusion, there have been many historical developments that have allowed women more and more influence in the social sphere, outside of the domestic household. Since the Salem Witch Trials, women have gained the right to participate in any career, even the military, to vote, to have jobs, to control their sexual health and conception, and become empowered within American society. Women are no longer seen as second class citizens and are no longer looked down upon if they wish to leave the domestic sphere. They also have the right to remain within the domestic sphere if they so choose, as do men. All these developments discussed within the paper, plus many more that have not been covered, have led to women having this position in society. There are, however, still things that need to be worked on before we can say that we have achieved equality. Rates of pay for women are still much lower than for men, and women are often confused about their rights in the workplace. Having children or having the potential to have children is still often seen as a problem by many employers because this will leave them having to give maternity pay. All in all, though, it is evident that women have come an extremely long way since being considered the evil and sinful sex who should be confined to the home and controlled by her father or husband. Works Cited Baker, P. (1984). The domestication of politics: Women and American political society, 1780-1920. The American Historical Review, 89(3), 620–647. Evans, S. M. (1997). Born for liberty: A history of women in America. Free Press. Freedman, E. B. (1974). The new woman: Changing views of women in the 1920s. The Journal of American History, 61(2), 372–393. Matthaei, J. (1982). An economic history of women in America: Women’s work, the sexual division of labor, and the development of capitalism (Vol. 256). New York. Rosen, M. (1973). Popcorn Venus: Women, Movies & the American Dream. Segal, M. W. (1981). Social change and the participation of women in the American military. DTIC Document. Wharton, E. (2007). The House of Mirth. Digireads.com Publishing. Read More