The role of the women in the American family Essay

The role of the women in the American family - Essay Example This is the main argument we would like to present here: that the political pressures brought on by the women's rights movement, from the abolitionists and suffragettes in the 1830s to the feminists of later years, only added noise and color to the equal rights campaign. The movement only served to call attention to the need for such changes. But the impetus for the actual changes sprang from wars, depression and industrialization, economic prosperity, the advances of science and technology, changes in eating habits, the advent of birth control pills, etc. All these factors combined to redefine the role of the modern women. If the women's movement made any influence at all, it was only in quickening the steps in that direction. At the same time, we would like to argue that not all women are eager to be on equal footing with men and to mouth feminist slogans to achieve that cause. They find greater fulfillment in staying at home and taking care of their husbands and children than in competing with men in the workplace. To buttress these arguments, we have lined up an array of sources consisting of academic scholars, social and political scientists, historians, law and military experts, even a cooking guru. At least two of my secondary sources have been published in book form while the rest were academic journals, research or lecture papers. The primary sources come in the form of two novels. I have singled them out as references for this paper because they take up the same argument that I have postulated on the heavier influences exerted by the social environment on the changing roles of women, and on the differences of attitudes of women themselves toward women's issues. The common thread that runs through these reference materials is their acknowledgment that women have indeed come a long way. Gone forever were the days when all that society expected of a woman was for her to sit at home, help her mother around the house and wait for the "right man." I am confident that the primary sources I have chosen will be helpful in making my arguments stick, as I am of my choices of secondary references. 2. Annotation of Secondary Sources: The reading materials picked out as secondary sources for this essay all support my argument that the coming of age of women has been less the result of their militancy than a natural process of adapting to new circumstances and requirements. On the catalytic effects of war, for example, the title "How Wars Changed the Role of Women in the United States" of the piece by Joyce Bryant speaks for itself. The influence of science and technology, on the other hand, may be gleaned from the journal "Technological Modernization and the Role of Women" by professor Reid Derr of East Georgia College. At least three of the references also serve to support my view that the large number of American women who cling to their traditional roles as homemakers does not necessarily mean that there are neighborhoods in the US still adamantly opposed to women's rights. The full list of my secondary s