Women in a Man’s World: Obstacles Faced While on the Road to Equality

Women in a Man’s World: Obstacles Faced While on the Road to Equality

Webster University

ANSO 4275: Gender and Sex Roles

Women in a Man’s World: Obstacles Faced While on the Road to Equality

Societal perceptions of the different roles between men and women have been a topic of conversation for decades. Throughout history women have been regarded as inferior and have had fewer rights than men. Their main purpose was for procreation and the raising of offspring. Women, believed to be the “weaker” of the sexes, were made to stay at home and take care of domestic issues such as cooking, cleaning, and tending to household chores. Men, being the “larger and stronger” of the two sexes, took on a more domineering role whose purpose was to handle the more grueling types of tasks such as providing shelter, food and the basic essentials needed for the family. During the 20th century, women began to stand up for their rights and began a long, treacherous fight to overcome obstacles they had been contending with for centuries. Two very important obstacles women have faced in their quest for upward movement in society have been a lack of an available higher education, and occupational sex segregation at the job level. There is still a perceived definition, even in public sectors, when determining what a woman’s job and a man’s job should be.

Women throughout history have had to endure discrimination towards them for merely being women. It was believed they were the weaker sex and should stay at home to care for the children and the household while the men went out and made a living. When women finally began transitioning into the workforce, the jobs available to them were mainly in public sectors such as nursing, administration, waitressing, and teaching. Women were forced to take jobs such as these because there were laws in place that kept them from advancing in their career. One law prohibited women from working more than eight hours in a 24-hour time period; this...