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Women's Challenges In The Mid-1800s

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Beginning in the mid-1800s, women were going through the challenges faced in their everyday lives. One of the main things was that they began to fight for women's suffrage. The first main event that signaled this was the Seneca Falls Convention. Since then, women have begun to stand up and form groups to protest. The movement was also going on during World War I and World War II. Women gained some opportunities during those wars because jobs became available, but they still struggled. They face many obstacles in different types of situations. Throughout many years, women have gone through struggles and gains while facing many issues in political, social, and economic areas. One area that has caused women to struggle is in the political standpoint. …show more content…

They faced challenges at home with their husbands and children. Many women wanted to combine their work as a wife with an actual career. This caused strains not only in the workplace, but at home with their families also. Husbands actually “...felt threatened by wives who had careers” (Hymowitz and Weissman 324). This made husbands try to do anything to get their wives to stay home. Men wanted to feel like they were fulfilling their part in supporting their wife and children as part of the masculinity, so wives with careers hurt “...a man’s sense of self-esteem” (Hymowitz and Weissman). This would cause issues between the husbands and wives. Many blamed women for social problems such as “...alcoholism, divorce, and juvenile delinquency…” (Hymowitz and Weissman 330). Along with this many immigrant women had conflicts with their daughters. The daughters would be “... absorbed into the American culture” (Hymowitz and Weissman 193). This made them feel more like individuals which their parents were not able to feel back in Europe (Hymowitz and Weissman 194). Theses girls and other unmarried women got to feel a sense more like freedom than in their homeland. It also made mothers feel more distant from their children. Although there were challenges, women have been able to get more free time. Many middle class women were having less things to do. By the end of the century, “the birth rate among …show more content…

Many women wanted to get a career to help out their husband and children. Although it was to just help out, some women actually had a purpose to follow a certain career, such as doctors and lawyers. Since men did not earn that much money, women wanted to earn some as well. This was a challenge because if the woman was married and had children, then she was less likely to get hired Many employers did not hire women with children (Hymowitz and Weissman 323). After the second world war, many women began to stick to their sphere of being a housewife because the servicemen would be taking their jobs back. During this time, inflation was very high in the economy so not many people had good money. “Women lost the economic ground they had gained during the war” (Hymowitz and Weissman 326). Women were able to get many jobs in places like factories because most men had to serve in the war. Unfortunately, they lost their gains after the war. Women began to protest against sex discrimination in the workplace because some employers would rather hire men than women (Hymowitz and Weissman 344). Groups, such as the National Organization for Women, wanted to gain more equality for women in all aspects. On the other hand, working-class women and black women were trying to earn decent pay and better working conditions (Hymowitz and Weissman 365). They are not doing so well economically because they do not

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