For hundreds of years women have fought for their equal rights. Unfortunately, not everyone has been on their side over the years. According to many sources, throughout most of history women generally have had fewer legal rights and career opportunities than men. That lets us conclude that women's rights have changed in many ways, but are still being equalized today. I think they should be equal to men's rights. Women would appreciate if you would take the time to learn more about what is going on with this situation.

The rights of women date back to Greek mythology. At that time, women's rights didn't exactly mean the same as it does now. In Athens, women were controlled by their fathers, up until they were married. After they were married, their spouse was the one who had total control. I don't know about most people, but I for one would never want that to happen. Most girls got married in their teens, and marriage basically meant just living together. Most marriages for the teenagers were to men in their thirties whom they did not know. The women's husbands were usually chosen by their fathers, and the women didn't have much of a say in what their opinions were. Some younger women went to school, and learned basic facts on mythology and how to read. But most stayed home and learned how to sew, cook, spin, and weave, which were important household chores. The ones who did stay home, which were most, stayed in a house with many women, and were only allowed to leave for religious duties.

When the stock market crashed during the Great Depression it encouraged more women to seek work outside of their homes, in order to help their families. This continued on in 1939-1945 during World War two. Thirty-eight percent of American women entered the work force to fill the work shortage left by men serving as soldiers. After the war though, returning soldiers replaced them. Women got more involved in the economy when it expanded in the 1950's and 60's. They found that discrimination made it harder to advance in the work. However, between World War 2 and the Civil War, woman finally got the equal right to vote. Those wars once again gave women the opportunity to show people what they were capable of.

Women started working in factories, being accepted into the military, learning about medicine and a lot more. But the discrimination against women, still dragged on. Skilled women could make $2.15 a week in a factory if lucky. This seemed like a lot of money back then, but men doing the same work were paid more. Women realized this and started going on strike. I think this was smart of them to start strikes, because it was one way to get the point across that women are equal to men.


To tell you the truth, women have come a long way in the last century. Education between men and women has become more equal. But we still have a long way to go. Even though we can vote now and take part in government in the United States, many countries are far from that. I believe we can go beyond what we have in making women's rights as a whole better. It just takes patience and time. Help the women of America become equal to men.