Women's Rights Dbq Essay

Since the beginning of empires, women were often subservient to men. They were underrepresented in politics, forbidden from education and sometimes even the workplace. Women were expected to be homemakers, raise children and be otherwise obedient. World War II began to change this. As men went to fight, women took up their places in the workforce. At the war's conclusion, while many women returned to the home, many stayed, enjoying the freedoms of a career, but facing gender inequalities. In the twentieth century, protesting movements against various inequalities faced by women emerged and became collectively known as the women's rights movement. The main causes for the rise of the women's rights movement were inequalities faced by women in

Excerpts from The Husband's Commandments states the rules that a wife must follow, putting her in a subservient position by granting her husband freedoms not allowed to her. This shows that women were not equal with their husbands. (Doc. 4) This document is against women's rights; it is directly stated that a 'good' wife should not go to women's rights meetings. But, the document presents clear evidence of how married women were expected to behave. (Purpose Doc. 4) Another example of inequality in marriage is dowry deaths. In Asian countries, specifically India, if a man was unhappy with his wife, for not providing children or overcooking his food, the wife would be doused in kerosene and burned to death. The wife could take no similar action and was forced to abide by her husband's will. (Outside Information 1) Yuhui Li's Women's Movement and Change in Women's Status in China argues that the main reason for male intellectual's support of the women's movement in China was their belief that bound feet and lack of education hurt a woman's ability to raise a strong future population. While this document shows the desire for women's equality in China, it also shows that women were still expected to keep similar roles such as raising children and maintaining the household. (Doc. 5) This document is a secondary source and offers a more conclusive

During World War II, women joined the workforce when many men went to fight in the war. Even after the war, many women remained in these jobs, but were not treated equally to men. This inequality led to the creation of the women's rights movement. (Outside Information 2) The excerpt from Traditions and Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past explains how the increased number of women in the workplace led to protests against wage differences and how these protests led to feminist movements. This clearly explains how inequality in the workplace led to the women's rights movement. Women were against pay differences and began to protest not only about this, but also the many inequalities they faced. (Doc. 6) The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (United States of America) prohibits sexual discrimination by forbidding employers from paying less to an employee than to an equal employee of the opposite sex. This shows that the women's rights movement was created to oppose sexual discrimination in the workplace, by demonstrating one of the movement's successes. (Doc. 2) The Equal Pay Act of 1963 is a legal document intended to secure equal pay for men and women. In this aspect, the document is trustworthy and strongly supports my thesis that the women's rights movement was created to achieve equal pay. (Purpose Doc. 2) The Excerpt from the Equal Pay Act 1970 (United Kingdom) requires