The Mold of a Woman

The readings for today focus on the problems that women face in the work place, as well as what is expected of them outside of it. After reading the articles I have come to the understanding that although women now have the right to work, they are treated a step below what men. As stated by Valenti, women make 76 cents to a man’s dollar in the work place, and even then, this large wage gap was at one point twice as large. It has taken our society fifty years to get women up to 76 cents. Shameful, really but what else can you expect from a society in which its government funds programs that encourage married couples to fit in to the “nuclear” family. This idea suggest that women should stay at home and do house work in order for the man, the bread winner, to be able to relax at home, thus working more productively at his job. One should remember, that during WWII women went into the factories and did the jobs that had been created for men, showing that women can be just as efficient at jobs meant for men.

Don’t get me wrong, I know that these characteristics are horrible. They allow for women to be discriminated, harassed, and even punished in the workplace simply based on their sex. All of these things need to change; however, knowing what our society produces and influences children with, it’s no wonder why it’s taking so long for things to change. Being a man puts me in a better position to acquire jobs and maintain them with a decent pay, so of course I would feel threatened by women pushing their way further up in the work force. Nonetheless it’s the right thing to do. I’m sure many men won’t even admit to feeling threatened by women moving up the corporate ladders, but that is unfortunately due to the macho stereotype men have come to supposedly posses…just like how women should remain at home? Equality is what our country prides itself on, so I believe that women have the right to break the mold of expectations they have come to hold.