Gender Equality Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gender Equality - Research Paper Example The progression of women’s rights has been to open up their lives so that instead of being legally dependant, they could live a public life, own both land and their own person, and to have equal opportunities within the work place and the corporate world in order to be able to provide sufficiently for that autonomy. With the passing of this initiative, the opportunities for women will be addressed and assessed, furthering the goals of women’s rights to equality in society. Until very recently society has had a very distinct view on the roles of men and women, creating separate spheres in which their worlds evolved. Labor was divided by what was deemed appropriate for men and what was appropriate for women. The behaviors within society that were defined by these roles were thought of as normal, while deviating from these roles was considered abnormal behavior (Smith and Kornblum, 2008, p. 336). Roles for men and women were divided according to the sociological need that was present. However, as the nineteenth century came to a close, and the twentieth century was born, great and unique historical changes were occurring that would begin the transition towards equality for women. At the turn of the 19th century to the 20th century, women’s suffrage was a hot topic, creating a movement that revolutionized the political landscape of the United States. However, it was not within the search for the right to vote that women first applied their influences and power in order to create social change in the United States. During the abolitionist movements of the mid 19th century, it was the actions of a great many women that supported the freedom of slaves (Adams, 2003, p.12). By the end of the century, the power of women to move sociological considerations was well established and the new cause took form of political voice. For most of history, the roles that were applied to the genders were suspected to be defined biologically. Therefore, the way