Women's Roles In The United States

Women 's roles have altered and developed over the past 200 years. In the United States, changes from an agriculture based life to an industrialized economy impacted women 's roles greatly. When a family 's support was based upon a farm, then both the male and female had specific jobs to keep it running. However, the male 's job was deemed more important. In most cases, the female was meant to be obedient and submissive to her husband. Despite the United States being built on freedom, it was white men who had all of the rights. When the US became a more industrialized nation, women worked in factories and therefore were given more financial responsibility. This responsibility was given to them though their rights remained limited. With a

In the mid 1800s, women were granted little to no rights; they were considered 2nd class citizens and expected to conform to what men believed was right. Socially, they were told to stay focused on family and household business. This included watching the children, cooking, cleaning, ect. Women were not encouraged to take a path that required education or would lead to a professional career. According to the National Women 's History Museum, "After marriage, women did not have the right to own their own property, keep their own wages, or sign a contract"(1). For many years, countless limitations like these were put on the actions that women could take. I believe these roles were very unfair because even though they worked like men, they didn’t receive the same rights. Inevitably, women came to be tired of the way they were treated, and decided to take steps toward improvement. Some women who stand out, particularly because of the change they made, are included in the college along with everyday women. Some of these women include Mary F Thomas who presested a position on equal rights, and Mary B. Birdsall who spoke in favor of woman sufferage before the legislature. Furthermore, Lucricia Mott, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were at the imfomous Senecca Falls, advocating for women 's rights. Cary Chapman Catt, came up with the "winning plan" that helped pass the nineteenth amendment (O 'Malley 1). I chose these women because they took the first steps needed for women to gain a more equal standing in