During the turn of the twentieth century, women’s roles in capitalist countries, or first world countries, played out as follows; the man of the family will go and work for money, the mother will stay home and take care of the children, as well as clean, and the children, if there are any, will attend school. This is how it was for a majority of the twentieth century. However, as time rushed on, women fought their way through the oppression of men for change. Slowly but surely, the number of housewives diminished and women worked their way to being equal with their male peers.
In the world of finance and work, women have come a long way. According to Michelle Fram Cohen’s “The Condition of Women in Developed and Developing Countries,” in 1924, 87% of women did over four hours of housework. By 1977, that percentage reduced to 43%. In 1999, that number reduced to 14%. What were women doing instead of cleaning the house? They were working. By 2000, one-third of wives in the United States made more money than their husband. Between 2004 and 2014, women’s salary increased by $300 (American Bar Association, 2016). It quickly because socially acceptable for women to work as much as men did. Even though a large portion of women still take up roles such as teachers, nurses, secretaries, and receptionists, they have made their way into the judicial branch (Cohen, 2006). According to the American Bar Association (ABA), in the year 2000, 14.55% of women were partners in private practice, 40.90% were associates, and 44.41% were summer associates. In 2016, women partners increased by 7%, women associates increased by 4%, and summer associates increased by 3.5%. In 2016, six-tenths of the government staff are women (Center for American Progress). In fact, progressing through the twentieth century, more women were decided to pursue an education rather than get married (Cohen, 2006). However, there are still problems today concerning women’s rights. For starters, a typical women’s pay is still lower than that of their male co-workers. Women are also being oppressed for their physical appearance, especially on social media. They are constantly criticized for clothing choice and body choice, no matter whether it's to appease the public or not (Ashley May, 2016). Women also suffer from sexual harassment and violence against them (Julie Zeilinger, 2016). Women have successfully paved the way for women equality in the financial world, but equality in the social world is still an issue. There are many organizations out there that are now turning their attention towards these issues, such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the National Organization for Women (NOW), and the Ms. Foundation for Women. Women have come a long way since the beginning of the twentieth century. They have earned the right to vote, the right to work for pay, and the right to have a higher position than men. However, they still have a long way to go yet. Women have won the right to be financially and politically equal to their male peers, but now they must find a way to become socially equal with them as well.
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