Mitchell Boehnlein

The Quest for Equality

In every culture there is a standard that is set for dating, marriage, and sex. The media, religion, and peers set these standards but what is really right and wrong? The Chinese and American cultures are both very dominate and developed countries. Although they are similar in that aspect they differ so drastically culturally, especially for women. The women’s rights are very prominent in the United States while they are almost nonexistent in china. I believe in the next few years that roles for Chinese woman will improve over time to the point of what American women have today.

Pre-WW1 women had a very neglectful way of life. Their duties were to look after the kids and manage the there living quarters. Some of the mandatory work consisted of cleaning and preparing meals. Women had very little rights and had to do all the housework and keep their opinion and feelings to themselves because they were viewed as less important. Due to the constant work at home many women usually didn't have time for jobs or even the ability to get jobs to support themselves because they were seen as not as intelligent as men. When world war one started it gave them an option to work and help with the cause. What they didn’t know was that it would spark a revolution. The war really gave the women a chance to move in and take place in the work force and prove their worth. They helped in factories to make ammunition and clothing. Thus becoming more involved in the working world and becoming more accepted. It wasn’t until the mid 19th century until women began working outside their homes in large numbers, they mostly worked in textile mills and garment shops. In poorly ventilated, crowded rooms with women and children. “They worked for as long as 12 hours a day while still doing their duties at home. Great Britain passed a ten-hour-day law for women and children in 1847, but in the United States it was not until the 1910s that the states began to pass legislation limiting working hours and improving working conditions of women and children.”

Pre-WW1 china was also a time period where women were treated as a lesser significance even though they were seen as having the ability to conceive life. The males on the other hand were able to have sex even if the other partner didn’t want it. They also could have as many partners as they wanted, making the bond with women more as a tool than a human being. One of the many phrases that women are thought at a young age is to obey one's father when young, one's husband when married, and one's adult sons when widowed. For centuries, endlessly memorizing and reciting these demeaning statements in the little schooling they are allowed to attend have suppressed women. The social stigma that many believe shows the great amount of control over women was reflected in a practice of female mutilation known as foot binding. Foot binding is centuries old that, places the woman in an extreme amount of pain just to visually please a male or to even be accepted by other women. Throughout their lives, women were treated as second to any form of male even if they are lesser socially or by age, making for some of the worst times for women’s rights in china.

For the American women in the 1990’s, it was a time to put their beliefs into action and expand globally. The big topics of the movement are focused on political issues, including reproductive rights like preserving the woman's rights to choose to have an abortion against the strong view of pro-life movement. Also sexual harassment, and the glass ceiling that impedes women in corporate advancement are some of the problems that women face. Even as more women entered the workforce feminists take stand that traditionally male jobs were slow to open to women. Other practical glass ceilings matters include unequal pay; many women hold jobs that are identical to males yet are paid substantially less. Also many companies shy