In a patriarchal society, the role of women has always been seen as inferior to that of men. Women were obliged to take care of the family and house, while men went to war or work. At the same time, until the middle of the 20th century, women had no rights and were utterly dependent on men. As Zhu and Chang note, gender roles change with the development of society (6). However, despite the gender equality that everyone strives for, this often means that new ones are simply replacing old forms of abuse and oppression of women.
From a historical point of view, the role of women in society has grown significantly. Gender roles were traditionally assigned as “women as caregivers and men as providers” (Zhu and Chang 2). A woman’s main task was to give birth to children and care for them. That has led to the fact that in today’s world, women are more often viewed as potential sexual objects and are more likely to be victims of violence and rape by men.
Even though society is now moving away from traditional gender roles, stereotypes and discrimination remain. For example, in the 20th century, women could not hold the same positions as men (Eagly et al.). However, although the situation has now changed, women are still much more likely to experience discrimination in the workplace. Moreover, there are stereotypes that women cannot think analytically and, therefore, must trust the decisions made by men (Eagly et al. 304). Historically, this factor was why women did not have a voice or could not take part in important decisions. At present, this prejudice prevents women from taking leadership positions and causes women to prove their competence in any matter much more often than men.
Thus, it is evident that from the historical perspective, women had significantly fewer rights and freedoms than men. However, even though gender equality is now enshrined at the legislative level, old stereotypes regarding women continue to be applied, evolving and adapting to new realities. For example, women’s opinions are more often questioned, and they are more likely to face gender discrimination and harassment in the workplace.
Works Cited
Eagly, Alice H., et al. “Gender stereotypes have changed: A cross-temporal meta-analysis of US public opinion polls from 1946 to 2018.” American Psychologist, vol. 75, no. 3, 2020, pp. 301-315. Web.
Zhu, Nan and Lei Chang. “Evolved but Not Fixed: A Life History Account of Gender Roles and Gender Inequality. ” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 10, 2019, pp. 1-12. Web.