Change in their work lives
- Intro
Just like men, women play a very important part in the lives of children, well-being of a nation, success of companies worldwide, and to the fate of future activities. However, this is not true for all times, as women have played different roles throughout history depending on the era, their race, and the communities or groups to which they belong. Supporting this thought is historian data, which suggests that in places like America, a majority of white and black women have played different roles depending on the era. Due to limited space, this paper will investigate the different roles that only white and black women have played in different historical eras in the States, and the advancements made by feminists in these periods.
- The Colonial Era
In the States, the period between 1650 and 1750 is called the Colonial Era. Women, in general, during this period had minute legal laws; however, they still impacted the society gravely.
White Women
The role that white women played during this crucial period varies depending on the colony, and the ethnic group to which a specific woman belonged. For example, Puritan settlers, who existed in New England, never allowed their women to work with men in the fields. In addition, women could nit visit the stables. However, the contrary is observed in Germany during this period. German women, specifically those in Pennsylvania, took part in the work activities happening in both farms and stables. The trend that historians and other researchers pick from this is that women played servant roles during this period. They served their fathers, once married, they played the same roles, but to their husbands.
With time, and due to the developments in England, men in America and other European regions, started embracing liberal thoughts geared towards egalitarianism. Such thoughts, affected the way men viewed women, and how women viewed themselves. For example, the traditional thought that men were the rightful family rulers and had dominion over their female companions was questioned. Albeit such liberal thoughts existed, the position of women in the society was still down.
Generally, most white women in colonial America were tasked with running the household. Domestic duties associated with the household were also dedicated to them. Some of these domestic duties at the time included cooking for their children and husband, preserving food, animal husbandry, cleaning the house and compound, sewing, spinning, and raising their children.
Black Women
During this era, both black men and women were brought to the States, England and other European areas as slaves. Both black genders underwent turbulent times during this period at the hands of the white man. They were taken away from their original homelands, family members and cultures. It was upon them to perform difficult physical tasks, such as ploughing fields, which negatively affected their bodies and mental states. The white man also denied them of their basic human rights, as they beat them and saw them as objects.
However, individuals need to note that Europeans and most colonialists preferred male black slaves as opposed to women black slaves. The main reason for this preference was due to the physical superiority of the black male. They later started bringing in female slaves in order to provide company to their black slaves. The bringing of female slaves as company for the black slaves is a practise first observed in the Dutch nation.
Since men slaves were expensive due to their physicality, most masters favoured women slaves. Another factor supporting women slavery was availability. Their input was high in the fields, as most men were pulled into carpentry and blacksmith trade. Most small firms at the time consisted strictly of female slaves.
In larger firms, work was divided among specific gender lines. For example, men carried out more physical tasks, such as constructing fences and ploughing, while women hoed.
- The Antebellum Era
Many historians and scholars regard the antebellum era as a time of reform, revivalism and religion. At the time both household and family were at the centre of virtue and influence. Women still played inferior roles; however, they started voicing and realizing their rights.
White Women
The surge in the emphasis of family and household to the attainance of virtue restricted the white woman to household duties. Their primary job on the household was to impart morals to their children and take care of any matters that may arise in the domestic realms. Purity was expected of her, and husbands only had sex with her in order to bear children.
However, the white woman, created a public position for herself by emphasizing her household roles. Thus, the white woman became more vocal and visible in the society than ever before. White girls also received more educational opportunities than ever before. This education together with the events of the Great Awakening pushed the white woman out of home events and to the path of creating, and joining movements and groups dedicated to their interests and to the end of slavery.
Black Women
Historians suspect that the white men used the slave trade as a way of putting themselves at the top of the pyramid and placing both the black and white woman at the top. However, the black woman suffered more when compared to her white counterpart. On sexuality, the black woman was considered an object of pleasure. The white man raped or had sex with her to fulfill his bodily desires. Additionally, the more sexual, the more valuable she was considered.
The slave woman’s role was also confined to motherhood. Her price in the market surged when traders learned that she was fertile. Moreover, she performed other roles in the household that were normal to slaves. For example, she slaved in the farms, took care of her master’s domestic animals, chopped wood, hoed, cared for children in her master’s household and ploughed farms.
- World War II Era
World war two started in 1940 and ended in the year 1945. The war marked a very important period in history for white women as they played critical roles. However, not much can be said for the black woman as whites continued to look down on her.
White Women
As earlier mentioned, the white woman played vital roles in the war. Opportunities never offered to the female gender before were offered to her, that is, jobs not in the sewing and typing category which she held before the war. However, matters were never easy. White women were forced to deal with the cultural stereotypes that evolved around working women. Additionally, since the caring of children was still bestowed on them, they had to find suitable systems to care for their children as they worked.
One should note that women were able to subscribe to new jobs due to the space left by men going to the war. Women filled many ‘male’ jobs especially those in factories and defence plants throughout America. Another essential industry that women dominated during this period was the aircraft industry. Historians also note that women received al lot of money for their exploits during the time, however, it was less compared to that which men received.
Women’s sexuality was still key at the time, as job adverts emphasized the importance of strong but feminine. White women were also given lessons on cosmetic application to ensure that they looked their best. When the second world war came to an end, the white woman was relieved from her factory duties and tasked with a return to household duties. However, a third of the total number of ladies above the age of thirteen still got to work outside their homes.
Black Women
Much changed for the white women, however, minimal changed for the black female slave. Society still discriminated her because of her colour, and moved her from location to location in search of the highest bidder. Lucky blacks, who had received some form of education found jobs in the defence industry. However, these blacks struggled to access these factory and defence jobs. Interviewers gave priority to white women due to racism. Additionally, most white women were uneasy about working with them. Albeit, most black women got to escape domestic duties during the war and work for better pay in factories, most were fired after the war. They had no choice but to return to their previous duties of acting as maids and cooks in white households.
- Conclusion
In summary, it is correct to deduce that women have played lower roles to men in different historical periods. Another correct deduction would be that the white woman has had better opportunities than the black woman at similar eras. All in all, the paper provides a traditional outlook on how society perceives women. Thus, both men and women should fight for the attainance of egalitarianism. The world and men must not subject women whether black or white to discrimination, instead, they should assist them in the attainance of their dreams.