gender

(name (professor (course (date

Gender Roles and the Perception of Women "I was /am the only daughter and only a daughter

- Sandra Cisneros "Only Daughter (1990

There was a time that having a daughter born to a family evoked more pity than

congratulations from the community . Sons were valued more for they were viewed to bring

practical help towards augmenting the family income through physical labor , as well as ensuring that the family name lives on with his progeny "Feminism

Daughters were valued only for the potential honor they could

bring the family with a good marriage . In olden days , a good marriage was not necessarily defined by the couple 's happiness but rather was deemed as such if both families stand to benefit from the union . Usually benefits would be measured in wealth , alliance or business . Marriages then were basically "mergers

Women were not expected to accomplish anything other than the mastery of domestic duties and union with a suitable husband . After marriage the only duties that a woman is supposed to fulfill are to look after the needs of her husband and give birth to as many children as possible with preference to the birthing of sons

The 1920 's and 30 's saw a wave of feminism that sought to overturn the traditional gender role assigned to women . They viewed patriarchy as oppressive to women and advanced the thinking that women are complements of males and therefore should be treated as equals . The 1920 's also saw a major victory for women in the United States with the passage of a law that allowed for women 's suffrage "Feminism

The Second World War in the 1940 's also provided women with the opportunity to prove their worth outside their duties as homemakers They started signing up as army nurses , members of women 's corps and workers in factories that provided supplies and ammunition to the "boys overseas " Even with this however , women still experienced discrimination at the hands of employers who believed that it was the men 's role to earn money for their families . Those that were hired still had to face inequality in wages as their work were deemed easier compared to the men 's (Acker 46

It has continually been an uphill climb for women in the assertion of their rights and the fight for identity and equality . Despite the many progresses made by women since the olden days , some cultures still place more premium on males . Sandra Cisneros ' account (Kirszner , 96-99 ) of being and born and living in a traditional , patriarchal society in the 1950 's show that even with the many new freedoms and rights accorded to women , their roles were still defined by marriage and domestic duties "What I didn 't realize was that my father thought college was good for girls --good for finding a husband . After four years of college and two more in graduate school , and still no husband , my father shakes his head even now and...