dependent upon men. Who says women can’t take care of themselves?
However, in the 1800s women started to take on roles outside of their homes, working in clothing factories and as secretaries. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to get rid of the stereotypical view of the “helpless” woman. As a result, their work was often viewed as less credible, and they had to work much harder than a man to prove their worth and be taken seriously. Women today are having similar issues. Strong, assertive women in powerful business positions are often judged as “bossy” or “oppressive,” whereas man in the same position would be respected.
Furthermore, the existing wage gap between men and women harms both women and their families. According to Source F, “... women are still only earning approximately 77 cents on the dollar compared to men, and even less for women of color.” Consequently, single mothers have to work extra hours just to make what their male counterparts would in less time. Not only this, but husbands also have to put in extra time to make up for the loss of income from their wife’s job. This injustice is unfair to the working woman and hurts families because parents who are always busy with work can’t spend quality time with their kids. Therefore, it can be concluded that the stereotype against women is detrimental to American families.
Not only are women expected to do all of the housework and paid unfair wages, but unrealistic body image standards are also placed upon women, lowering their self esteem and increasing their depression rates.
Society has portrayed size-0 models as the “ideal” female body, but this is unnatural. Thus, women are fighting against their natural bodies in order to be perceived as “perfect.” These ideals of Western culture are even starting to influence Asian countries where body image was traditionally never a big issue. As stated in Source A, “As many Asian countries become Westernized and infused with the Western aesthetic of a tall, thin, lean body, a virtual tsunami of eating disorders has swamped Asian cultures.” The added pressure of physical appearance on women adds stress to their already-difficult lives as they try to prove their worth to
society.
Others argue that women are not stereotyped. In fact, some even believe that women are more privileged than men. Evidence of this is seen in Source C, where Schlafly states, “The truth is that American women never had it so good. Why should we lower ourselves to ‘equal rights’ when we already have the states of special privilege?” Although it is true that conditions for women have been improving, especially after the nineteenth amendment was passed, the fact remains that women are not treated as equals to men. The undisputable wage gap between men and women gives men an unfair advantage in the workforce and robs women of the luxuries men receive as a result of the extra cash. All in all, it is a fact that women are not treated equally to men in today’s society. Although more rights and opportunities have been opened up to them than there were in the past, traditional stereotypes of incapable women and strict body image standards make the life of an American woman harder than that of a man’s.