ETH/125 Cultural Diversity
What has been the status of women in the United States throughout history?
• The serious studies of women written by amateur women scholars were ignored by the male-dominated history profession until the 1960s, when the first breakthroughs came. [ The field of women's history exploded dramatically after 1970, along with the growth of the new social history and the acceptance of women into graduate programs in history departments. An important development is to integrate women into the history of race and slavery. A pioneer effort was Deborah Gray White's 'Ar'n't I a Woman? Female Slaves in the Plantation South (1985), which helped to open up analysis of race, slavery, abolitionism and feminism, as well as resistance, power, and activism, and themes of violence, sexualities, and the body. A major trend in recent years has been to emphasize a global perspective.
What is the status of women in the U.S. today?
• Women in the U.S. have made big advances in every field. Yet discrimination still exists. How far have women really come? Doing "A Man's Job" As women have gradually become leaders in the professions — in medicine, law, and business, for example — they also have taken jobs once regarded as too physically strenuous. Women have become sanitation workers, police officers, fire fighters, and can fight in wars.
What are some examples of concepts or constructions of masculinity and femininity that you see in society and in media?
• Femininity and masculinity or one's gender identity refers to the degree to which persons see themselves as masculine or feminine knowing what it means to be a man or woman in society. Members decide what being male or female means whether, dominant or passive, brave or emotional, and males generally respond by defining themselves as masculine while females will generally define themselves as feminine. Because these are social definitions,