Changing Role of Women in America

Paper Summary:

In this essay, the writer notes that less than 100 years ago, American women enjoyed relatively few freedoms: they could not vote, they could not control money, and they were frequently treated like chattel or other property, owned by their male relatives. However, the last 100 years have seen tremendous advances in women's rights. The writer points out that, first, women have obtained significant legal advances in the past 100 years, which have led to the legal recognition of women as equals. Although women have not achieved absolute equality, these legal changes have led to significant equitable equality. The writer discusses that while these changes have impacted women of different races in different manners, the feminist movement has resulted in positive changes for all women. The writer concludes that, as a result of these changes, all American women have achieved substantial gender equality, and the changes have benefited women regardless of class or gender.

Outline:
Introduction
Body
Conclusion

From the Paper:

" Although women did not traditionally enjoy legal or real freedoms in America, there has been a tremendous change in women's rights in the last 100 years, and those changes have positively impacted women of all races and classes. Women have gone from being considered the property of husbands or the absolute property of slave-owners to autonomous individuals with the full range of legal rights and responsibilities. In addition, the law officially prohibits sex-based discrimination. These legal changes have led to increases in substantive equality. For example, women make up almost half of the American labor force and, though the wage gap still exists, it is slowly shrinking. In addition, American women have access to reliable contraceptives, giving them an unprecedented level of personal freedom. These changes have benefited women from all walks of life; though the feminist movement has not accomplished its goals of eliminating racism and classism, it has successfully benefited women of all races and classes. Such tremendous changes in such a relatively short period of time make total equality seem inevitable."

Sample of Sources Used:

• AFL-CIO. "Atlanta's Washerwomen Strike." Women in Union History. 2008. AFL-CIO. 21
• Feb. 2008 <http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/history/history/ww_strike.cfm>.
• Gandy, Kim. "Bottom Line: Low Minimum Wage Means Millions of Working Poor. Economic
• Justice. 2007. National Organization for Women. 21 Feb. 2008 <http://www.now.org/press/01-07/01-24b.html>.
• Liswood, Laura. "What it Takes: Juggling and Balancing." Women in Power Reveal What it Takes. 2008. BBC Worldservice. 21 Feb. 2008

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