A Long Road to Equality: Women in the Workforce

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“For most of history, anonymous was a woman –Virginia Wolf.” For women, the path to equality in the home and workforce has been a long hard fought battle that is still taking place as we speak. With every victory that has taken place, there have also been road blocks at every turn, many shed tears, resistance, and an unwavering belief felt by men, that women truly will never amount to anything other than a housewife. If the women from the start of this battle were to see the great strides taken place over the years and the place women are at now, they would stand in utter disbelief. It is with great thanks that we as women are able to flourish as individuals; letting our goals, dreams, aspirations, and intelligence take the forefront of our duties to society. It is implied that since the dawn of time, women have been inferior to thy fellow man. It was not until the Age of Enlightenment, which began around 1650 in Europe, that the first ideas of women being as competent as men, lacking only education and not intelligence, began to circulate (Online MBA). As the end of the 18th Century neared, women were regulars in salons and academic debates, though schooling for women would come late down the road (Online MBA). Prior to the birth of the Industrial Revolution, women did not work. Those who did work were from lower class families and many of those were minorities. It was the primary idea that a women’s role was of that at the home; cooking sewing, cleaning, and caring for the children. There were many duties required of them around the house and their focus was to be the supportive wife who dutifully waited for the husband to come home after a long day at work. The Industrial Revolution and WWII were the beginning of women in large... ... middle of paper ... ...on & Company, Inc, 2012. Gross, Dr. Gail. The path for Powerful Women in Today's Workplace. 4 April 2013. 15 November 2013 . Harvard Business Review. Women in the Workplace: A Research Roundup. n.d. 15 November 2013 . National Archives. World War II: Women in the Work Force during World War II. n.d. 15 November 2013 . O'Neil, June. "A Flexible Work Force : Opportunities for Women." Journal of Labor Research (1992): 67-72. Online MBA. Online Guide to Women in the Workforce: Past and Present. n.d. 15 November 2013 . Paul, Alfie. Women at Work. 31 March 2011. 15 November 2013 . the Labor Site. Women in the Workplace - a history. n.d. 15 November 2013 . Tulsa, Sally. "The Stay at Home Mom." Baby Talk (2000): 42-47.

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