Gender relationships in America have evolved over the years, most notably in the 20th and 21st century. The role of women was initially homemaking; women were barred from engaging in public affairs. This means that important issues, such as politics and prestige, were entirely left to the men. Women were also excluded from voting since it was believed that they would influence the society due to the fact that they are the majority gender.
During World War II, in 1950s, America went to war (Kessler-Harris 9). This implies, that the young men who were working for factories and offices got engaged in war affairs and left their positions vacant. These factories and offices called upon women to fill up these vacancies. Due to the fact that they were now working in nation-building, they started to feel a sense of freedom. This freedom was short because as soon as the war was over, men came back to proclaim their positions.
Thus, women were thrown back to be homemakers and the husbands and fathers played the role of the sole breadwinners. Women became resentful due to the fact that they had experienced self-definition they had not known earlier (Kessler-Harris 15). From the 1950s to 1960s, America’s prosperity was realised through the creation of such important items as washing machines, vacuum cleaners, and toasters.
These consumer items were created in an effort to enable women to have the freedom and save time, and also to ensure efficiency in their home-based duties. Efficiency was important because women had to ensure that they created a haeven for their husbands to come to after work. Since issues like birth control were seen as immoral, families became larger and the men who were the sole breadwinners of these families had to work endlessly in order to provide their children and wives financially (Kessler-Harris 23). This led to rebellions in both men and women in the 1960s, whereby they rebelled against these severe expectations. These rebellions are reflected in the poem “Daddy” by Sylvia Plath.
Men began to realize that they were greatly restricted by these expectations as they were forced to work for long hours, whereas they could be at home with their families. During the same era, women were not allowed to make any decisions (Kessler-Harris 26). Decision making was solely for men, whereby it was either for the father or for the husband. Boys were brought up and taught how to become future leaders and engineers. On the other hand, girls were taught how to become good mothers and be submissive in marriage.
Throughout the 21st century, women have become very active in public life. It is important to note that nowadays women have attained great levels of education and career. Unlike the 20th century, when women were getting married at tender ages, today’s woman is delaying or even avoiding marriage in an effort to attain education and career (Kessler-Harris 30). Women have also attained great to consumer power. It is noted that women influence the purchasing of consumer goods up to the level of 85% including new homes and motor vehicles. It is also important to note that today women control global spendings up to 65%. In conclusion, gender relationships have changed remarkably in America and the entire world, with women contributing up to 50% of the labour force.
Works Cited
Kessler-Harris, Alice. In Pursuit Of Equity, New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Print.