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Andrew Lucas

Professor Rodrick

English 115

United States’ History Molded Women

This point in time it can be either very difficult or very easy to be yourself and express

your personality; however, the people that tend to be leaders and are proud of themselves

succeed greatly in life and make major impacts on others. One group of people that have made

immense strides to better themselves and earn respect in our country would definitely be women;

in addition, they now have so many resources and opportunities to express themselves.. Today in

the United States, women have a huge impact on society, whether it be in business,politics, or in

the military which shows that our society has shaped them to be strong and create lives for

themselves.

Throughout time and many cultures, women are thought to be the weaker of the two

sexes male and female, and have not had the same rights as men either. In most of America’s

past women were not thought highly of, only stay at home moms that raised the children and

held domestic duties; furthermore, when women decided they needed to be treated more fairly

they were not taken serious. It was not until the “... late 19th century [when] many families could

not afford [stay at home moms]…” and made it necessary for women to acquire jobs (Weebly).

Women were not coming out in massive amounts; in fact, these newcomers were the first

feminists which consisted of few women. The process was slow, “... such as making small

discussion groups that would eventually lead into larger groups which eventually lead into

conventions. In both movements, actions towards creating an equal nation had to start off with

the small things like conventions [and] speeches…” (Weebly). So, just how have women
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developed since they began to first start working in the 19 century? Well, women have had a

huge impact in every war, but first started with the Civil War. Over “... 400 women disguised

themselves as men and fought in the Union and Confederate armies… and thousands of women

in the North and South joined volunteer brigades and signed up to work as nurses” (History). It

was unheard of to hear that women risked their lives for men, went on some undercover missions

rescuing slaves, and (silly as it may seem) they got themselves dirty. The courage these women

had to partake in the Civil War created a precedent for future women to go above other people’s

expectations.

Following the Civil War women made a huge jump in capturing their rights and suffrage

by obtaining knowledge through schooling, teaching themselves, and through the women’s rights

movements. During this time in society women really started to get tough and evolve. One may

argue that this could be a result of women’s participation the the World Wars. Women began to

stick together to demand their right to vote, gain more political power, and create an economic

system that applied to them. An online article by Robert Wilde, contributor to ThoughtCo.,

solidifies that “... the Women’s Social and Political Union held its only demonstration,

demanding that women be given a "right to serve" (Thought). This supports that women were

fighting to make a difference and earn respect in their country. During the World Wars, women

were needed in factories to help make weapons and other military equipment, roughly 90,000

women served in WWI and over 140,000 in WWII (Army). Following the World Wars, women

began to illustrate their equality and strength relative to men.

In the 20th century we can see how women were valued with more respect, as they

obtained their right to vote in 1920 and began to fill jobs that were originally only for men.

“Rebecca Latimer Felton became the first woman US senator in 1922, and in 1981 Sandra Day
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O'Connor became the first woman judge on the US Supreme Court. In 1963 in the USA an Equal

Pay Act compelled employers to pay men and women the same amount for doing the same job”

(Local). These events led to surge in female participation in politics and women also began to

start businesses and develop new products; however, this did not mean that women didn’t have

obstacles or had issues along the way. Men still had a strong dictation in their life. Almost all

men owned businesses and companies, so employers would look over women and discriminate

against them. Business in America is very, in simple terms, tough. There is a ton of competition,

so there was still a stereotype among these women that they couldn’t do jobs as well as men. As

time went on, women persevered, and got tough leading in an increase of female business

owners and leadership roles through the country. Today, Kylie Jenner “owns 100% of her

company, [and] has sold more than $630 million worth of makeup since its founding in February

2016” (Forbes). The society in the United States gave women a pedestal, as our country is based

on freedom and the pursuit of happiness, it gave these women all of the necessary tools and

freedom to live as they wished.

Today in the United States, women have more power than ever. Many women are

business owners, women are highly respected doctors, teachers, and even many have served in

the military. Our society has provided women with so many opportunities and expects only

greatness out of them. Some would argue that women should still be the stay at home moms and

not work, but that is not what the majority of people believe. This is an ancient idea and we have

accepted the fact that they will are leading our country and making huge decisions that impact us

everyday. What has society placed on the generality of women? You asked for equality and

equal respect, so show everyone why you deserve that respect and let us see what you’re made

of.
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Works Cited

“Before the Women's Rights Movement.” Women's Suffrage Movement vs. Women's Rights

Movement in the 1800s,

thedevelopmentofwomensrights.weebly.com/before-the-womens-rights-movement.html.

“How Women Helped Win the Great War.” Www.army.mil, Army, 10 Nov. 2008,
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www.army.mil/article/14061/how_women_helped_win_the_great_war.

“Kylie Jenner.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine,

www.forbes.com/profile/kylie-jenner/#7151db8055b5.

Lambert, Tim. Women in the 20th Century, 2018, www.localhistories.org/women20th.html.

“Women In the Civil War.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 5 Feb. 2010,

www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/women-in-the-civil-war.

Wilde, Robert. “How World War I Changed Women's Lives.” ThoughtCo,

www.thoughtco.com/women-in-world-war-1-1222109.