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women are becoming more independent
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Ever since females began to obtain more opportunities in education, work, and social aspects, the ways they progress through their years after college have changed drastically from the times of their mothers and grandmothers. While the economy, personal situations, and social standards may have influenced this change, it seems that many females have taken to a new way of tackling their twenties worldwide. Females are becoming more independent and increasingly determined to achieve their goals and live how they wish rather than follow the standards for maturing and growing up.
Based on statistics, women are consistently staying single longer than ever before. Currently, about 22% of females are single in the age group of 30-35 which supports the fact that they are staying single longer to achieve aspirations which are most often work related. Unlike their ancestors “women are looking for careers, not jobs” which ultimately leads to additional schooling, masters programs, etc. (Hymowitz). Many women are more empowered and determined to reach their goals to then become stable financially and then move on to a committed life. The number of women in college has doubled between 1960 and 2000 and has since then increased (Hymowitz). I think that the increased number of women attending college and the percentage of single women both contribute to the fact that the desire to achieve personal work related goals is a trend which is rising in popularity. To become established in one 's life and have stability in a job and finances is more important than finding a spouse immediately after college.
Sheehy’s essay describes the phases of life that the average American experiences, however compared to modern day women, it does not matc...
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...goal in mind, then she should have a “response of tearing up the life [she] spent most of [her] twenties putting together” (Sheethy). By this time a woman has had plenty of opportunity to adventure and have excessive fun, so now if she wants to settle down that is perfectly okay, but it does not mean that she must destroy what she made up until that point.
In conclusion, the recent development of the “New Girl Order” lifestyle has changed how women live through their early adult years. While the percentage of married women and women with children in their late twenties/early thirties has changed in accordance with this new life ideal, the way they handle expected adversities and “typical” issues they can expect in their adult life have changed. The way a newly graduated single female will live her life will always differ from the norm, there is no set way of living.
Salisbury, Joyce E. and Andrew E Kersten. “Women in the United States, 1960–1990.” Daily Life through History.ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 19 Jan. 2014.
At the beginning of her article she states how frustrating it was to be at the age she was and still not married or in a committed relationship. She had long relationships in high school up until her late 20’s but at 39 she was stuck. She wasn’t in any relationship but was finally ready for marriage; but the pool was small she was either going to have to stay single or just to settle. She had taken up her mother’s feminist ideas that she could be independent and didn’t have to marry or be with someone just because it was the societal norm. “I see now, is in keeping with a post¬ Boomer ideology that values emotional fulfillment above all else. And the elevation of independence over coupling (“I wasn’t ready to settle down”) is a second¬-wave feminist idea I’d acquired from my mother, who had embraced
Rosenberg, Rosalind. Divided Lives: American Women in the Twentieth Century. New York. Hill and Wang, 1992.
During the late nineteenth century, the notion of ?separate spheres? dictated that the women?s world was limited to the home, taking care of domestic concerns. Women were considered to be in the private sphere of society. Men on the other hand were assigned the role of the public sphere, consisting in the participation of politics, law and economics. Women in the meantime were to preserve religious and moral ideals within the home, placing children on the proper path while applying valuable influence on men. The idea was that the typical middle class woman would teach children middle class values so that they too will enjoy the luxuries and benefits in the future that the middle class has to offer (Lecture, 10/17).
“A woman has got to be able to say, and not feel guilty, ‘Who am I, and what do I want our of life?’ She must not feel selfish and neurotic if she wants goals of her own, outside of her husband and children.”(The Associated Press 1) When Betty Friedan proposed this idea in her book, The Feminine Mystique, she sparked the controversy surrounding one of the most significant but inconspicuous issues in post World War II American society. Americans sought to alleviate the trauma from the war by devoting their time to raising a family, which led to a major increase in birth rate between the years of 1946 and 1964, confining women to raising their many children. Any woman who pursued a career was referred to as unattractive and envious of men (“Women at Work After World War II” 1). Increasingly, women felt jaded and
Women were expected to be nurturing, proper, and obedient. When men wanted their wives and daughters to stay home, the women had no choice but to cooperate, “The growing separation between the workplace and the home sharpened distinctions between the social roles of men and women” (Brinkley 240). As the separation between the home and the workplace began to grow, the shift in gender roles became more evident in society. Additionally, a new culture for women emerged from this shift in society, “Within their own separate sphere, middle-class women began to develop a distinctive female culture. A ‘lady’s’ literature began to emerge” (Brinkley 240). This newfound female culture gave women a sense of connection to other women with lifestyles. In some ways, this shift in gender roles was not completely harmful to women. However, women were still considered to be inferior to
Rich, Adrienne. “What does a Woman Need to Know?.” The Presence of Others: Voices That Call for Response. Ed. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1997. 44-50.
Throughout history, society has impacted the lifestyle of the individual. Change in society has a particular impact on the individual. During the Vietnam era, change in society was drastic. Many movements began during this time period. One of these was the escalation of the Women’s' Liberation Movement. Women's rights was always a concern, but during the Vietnam era it grew and spread across the nation. Many laws, court cases, and organizations reflected the social change of the era. During the Vietnam era, these social changes ultimately affected the lives of individual women. They touched every part of life and had effects on women’s work, sexual freedom, and a their role in the household.
From the Mid Century of the 1900’s to today, women have strived to be noticed and respected by society; and to be a part of a world with little confidence and many insecurities leads to wanting more and stepping out of the box that society builds to keep traditions alive.
Aging Boomers and Silent Generation women are at a powerful crossroads in life. For so long, their lives were defined by taking care of others. Now that they have grown children who have their own children, they are confronted with designing their own next chapter and thoughtfully evaluating how they want to move forward. They want new adventures: big ones and great big little ones.
From the very beginning of history, women were portrayed to be insignificant in comparison to men in society. A woman 's purpose was deemed by men to be housewives, bear children and take care of the household chores. Even so, that at a young age girls were being taught the chores they must do and must continue through to adulthood. This ideal that the woman’s duty was to take charge of household chores was then passed through generations, even til this day. However, this ideology depends on the culture and the generation mothers were brought up in and what they decide to teach their daughters about such roles. After women were given the opportunity to get an education and treated as equals, society’s beliefs undertook a turning point on women’s roles in society. Yet, there still seems to be a question amongst women in search of self identity and expectations from parents.
A women's role has changed tremendously and is making its greatest impact in our society today. Many years ago, women's contribution to society was limited and controlled by men. Women are standing tall and are playing a major role in many important areas. Women's role has changed at an accelerating rate and have part in areas such as Politics, Professional Training Jobs, Medicine,Business and Law. Formerly they were not part of any political matter, but they have advanced in many aspects. For example, women have attained power and have been growing in political office.
According to Ralph Waldo Emerson, we live in a society of conformity that is, "in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members . . . the virtue in most request is conformity. Self-reliance is its aversion" (Emerson, 21). Since Civil War Nursing, women in the work force have been faced with this dilemma of self-reliance and conformity. As women have been discriminated against, and referred to as inferior to men, it has not been an easy task to over come the social barriers, without giving in to conformity, especially when it comes to the work place. As their role in the Civil War, nurses "fulfilled more of a replacement mother position, rather than a healthcare provider"(Hamway, 2001).
The debate on whether to get married or stay single has been raging for a long while, with both sides of the coin having their own pros and cons regarding the matter. Many proponents of either marriage or single life have strong individual convictions, and it is difficult to reach a definitive objective conclusion. Is the married individual happier than his/her single counterpart, or is getting married just a comfort seeking ritual that people believe they have to fulfill at some point in their lives? It is necessary to dissect this issue in the light of four factors: health and other medical factors, the economic and finance front, mental and emotional wellbeing and lastly, the social factor.
The role women play in today’s society is a drastic change from the previous role. Women used to be confined to the superiority of the man. Physically, mentally, and emotionally abused, belittled, embarrassed, and silenced. These are just a few examples of the emotion from the isolated treatment of the past. A woman’s role in today’s society is more valued than ever before.