Mao Rankin
BCOM/275
March 24, 2012
Grey Scott
Women’s role in today’s society
Women always have been known to be the caretaker of the family. They were to stay home and care for the children and their husbands were out earning the income. In today’s society, women are out in the job market earning a steady income along with their husbands. They may even hold such titles as Chief Executive Officers or run in politics. No matter what they do they are still expected to come home and care for their family. Many will argue that it may be easier said than done concerning staying home and taking care of the family especially in this economy when earning two incomes is almost a must in order to provide for the family.
Women have gone through some rough times for the women of today to have the right to vote, attend school, and work. “.. the more rights we as women get, it seems the more we want. We want people to not look at us and make a decision. We want people to give us opportunities despite our sex” (Pendley, 2011). This is merely an opinion from another woman who is speaking her own mind, but it is attitudes like these that make it harder for women to be taken seriously. It is true that women want to have the same opportunities as men and do not want to be judged by their sex but that does not mean that they want anything more. There may be limitations to what women can do physically, emotionally, and mentally as far as work is concerned, but it is also the same for men. “..I, as a female, acknowledge the fact that our sex cannot behave the way a male does. And I don’t want to act like a man” (Pendley, 2011). Fighting for the rights of all women does not mean that they want to act like men. Women simply want to be treated equally and not be seen as someone who is not capable of doing anything besides staying home. Some women can work alongside men no matter how difficult the job may be and have contributed just as much as any man if not more.
Even in today’s society there are still those that believe women should stay home and care for their kids. What they may be missing is that not all women can afford to stay- at- home, especially those single moms who need to be out earning income to support their families. “..low-income households simply can’t afford to get by on one income alone, making it necessary for both parents to work; neither can single parents afford to take off from work for years”(Garofalo, 2011). In the article “Republican officials cut head start, saying women should be married and home with kids,” the author quoted two commissioners who simply stated that women should stay home with their children because early education starts at home. They used examples of their own wives who stay home and care for their kids. Unfortunately, not all households could afford to have one parent stay home while the other one worked. If it were that simply it would be safe to say that most of the working moms would gladly stay home.
For a long time men and women have been taught at an early age to only pursue in careers suited for them. Women should only be in careers, such as nursing and education and men should only be in careers such as firefighting and construction. Then there are still many people who are still holding on to the old idea that women should be at home with their families while the husband is out making the money. Times have changed and women are out to voice their opinions, contribute to the workforce and take charge. Fighting for the rights of women does not mean giving up what makes a woman feminine. It simply means that women can have the opportunities and independence as men.
Reference
Garofalo, P. (2011). Republican officials cut head start funding, saying women should be married and home with kids. , (), . Retrieved from http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/02/16/144869/gop-women-kids/ Pendley, J. (2011). Gender roles play vital part in today's society . , (), . http://www.reflector-online.com/opinion/gender-roles-play-vital-part-in-today-s-society-1.2432123#.T23nHdUTtvB
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