The Struggle For Women In The 1800's

Throughout history, women have always been discriminated against in terms of work and finance. Since women first entered the workforce in the 1800’s during the Industrial Revolution, women have always earned less than their male counterparts. Although women’s movements have made great progress over the past several decades, there is a lot left to accomplish. To overcome the social injustices of antiquated gender roles, women have strived to advance their education and careers to help pave the way for women in the future.
Following the War of 1812, outwork, which is labor that could be complete in the home, was made available for women was very unreliable and usually paid low wages. The work was seasonal, usually peaking in April and October,
Women tend to be the caregiver of children, elderly or disabled family members. This is considered unpaid work and because it is challenging, it can barely leave enough time to take on a part time job. Women also tend to be the custodial parent in the event of divorce and are likely to take on more cost than they get paid in support, if they are even paid support. The costs associated with unplanned pregnancy can sometimes prevent women from finishing their education to sustain a good job, so this can lead to a state of poverty. Another factor is domestic and sexual violence, which can also lead to job loss, poor health and homelessness. These are all reasons why we must expand economic opportunities for women to balance family and work (Cawthorne,
Because of the discrimination that has taken place in the workplace, women had few economic resources compared to men. The majority of women who suffer from poverty are black women from which in 1981 they constituted 52.9% while white women made up 27.4%. Feminization of poverty is part of the problem women face, which keeps them unequal in the economy (DuBois& Dumenil, 2016). This feminization of poverty may be related to numerous changes in contemporary America. Increases in unwanted births, separations, and divorces have forced growing numbers of women to head poor households. Meanwhile, increases in divorced fathers avoiding child support coupled with reductions in welfare support have forced many of these women‐headed households to join the ranks of the underclass. Further, because wives generally live longer than their husbands, growing numbers of elderly women must live in poverty ("Causes and Effects of Poverty,"