HOW HAS THE ROLE OF WOMEN CHANGED IN THE LAST TWENTY YEARS
In 40% of American households with children under 18, the woman serves as the primary breadwinner, according to a study released by Pew Research Center in 2015. Traditionally, women were limited in their roles. In the past, women were seen as only needed to bear children and take care of household activities such as cooking and cleaning, while it was common for their husbands to work to provide for the family. It wasn’t long before women agreed that they could have a bigger role than society had labeled upon them for so many years. On August 8, 1920, the 19th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution was ratified, since then and especially in the last twenty years; the ...view middle of the document...
Women often feel guilty after relying on others to care for the babies, and especially when the kids go to Daddy if they fall down and need nurturing.
Careers are a huge area of change for women in the last twenty years. In the workplace, women are taking on roles that used to be thought of as a “man’s career” such as, doctors, firefighters, lawyers, and even the armed forces. There are a lot more women in roles of authority in the workplace such as, CEO’s and executives. Married women are more likely to out-earn their husbands in the last twenty years as well, helping to reshape the “traditional” gender roles at work and in the home.
The changes for women in the home over the last two decades have been quite significant, also. When women do have time to spend at home, they are no longer expected to be found in their kitchens. Some women have to delegate the housework to other family members because they are spending so much time away from the home. Other women don’t have the luxury of other family members to delegate the housework and chores to, so they end up having to do all the required household activities, plus their full-time jobs themselves.
With so many changes in families, homes, and careers regarding the roles of women, it is important for women to have positive role models. Role models can have a powerful effect on women; they can be someone to look up to, inspirational, someone to admire, or someone to emulate. If a woman is looking to scale great heights in any or all her endeavors, a role model may be just what she needs; they are important for everyone, but particularly critical for women. In conclusion, in the last twenty years instead of “women’s roles,” now society has “women role models.”
