Women's Roles Then & Now

Women's Roles Then & Now

Introduction

The writer chose two very influential ladies from the past. The first lady that the writer chose is Clara Barton, who known as the founder of American Red Cross and second lady is Bessie Coleman, who was the first African-American female Pilot.

Clara Barton: Clara Barton, born 25 December 1821 at Oxford (MA) and died on 12 April 1912 at Glen Echo (Maryland) is a teacher, nurse and humanitarian American, known for being the founder of the American Red Cross (Purdy, 2008).

Bessie Coleman: Bessie Coleman (born January 26 1892 in Atlanta, Texas, April 30 1926 in Jacksonville, Florida), and "Brave Bessie" and "Queen Bess", was an American pilot. She was the first African American woman to pilot's license and the first woman with the international pilot's license (Schafer, 2000).

After giving a brief introduction about the ladies, the writer highlighted the historical status of woman during 18th or 19th century. As both the ladies practically share the same century, therefore, the perception regarding woman, not enough different.

Discussion

Historical Status

Since time immemorial, women have always occupied the house. Cooked, cleaned, washed, and brought up her children. In the past women not given education, do not go to school. They married to the husbands. The situation changed in the nineteenth century, when women began to stand up for their rights. Since then, a woman, except that it is a housewife, educated and working. Similarly, women started working in factories because they saw it as a challenge job to gender worker (it is said the male). However, America born in the suffrage movement, a claim of equal political and legislative action that led to listen to women. Women like Barton and Coleman tried to change the perception of people of that time regarding women, ...