The Evolution of Sexism
The stereotypical gender roles of the past progress to offer significant opportunities for social change.
More stories from Shannon Zogran
Sexism of the past: men were the breadwinners while women were the homemakers.
PAST
Starting young in their lives, women were encouraged to not follow in suit of men. They were given the name “homemakers,” while men were seen as the “breadwinners.” Women were expected to prepare for life after high school differently. Men prepared for the workforce, while women prepared to take care of the house and family. This created the still-relevant concept of inequality between the sexes.
“The expectations [of women] were to start and take care of a family. They were taught a lot of domestic skills unlike now, where women are encouraged to get the same education as men today,” said Antioch Community High School social studies department chair Grant Murray. “If we go back to the same era, men were expected to gain job skills to be profitable in a factory or farm. There was no family training for them.”
The expectations of the homemaker, in other words the housewife, can be seen in a former club at ACHS. From 1945 to 1977, the group was known as Future Homemakers of America (FHA). At ACHS, FHA consisted of only girls and had a main focus of staying in school, knowing how to prepare for a marriage and knowing how to build a family. The club also focused on the economics of the household, such as spending. At the time, the club was thought to empower women to be independent in their homes. Men were allowed to join, however, it was unusual to see a male in such a group. It was the only organization with the family as its main focus.
In the 1970s, Home Economics Related Occupations (HERO) was launched to encourage the FHA to expand their focuses. With HERO and FHA coming together, the club was then able to have a main emphasis on career preparation rather than stay-at-home work. Soon, men were seen joining FHA and HERO. The club actually became empowering rather than telling women to stay home.
PRESENT
To this day, women are still considered sub-par to men. They make up half the United States’ workforce and receive more college and graduate degrees than men. Knowing this, should women be considered as successful if not more successful than men in general? Just in 2013, on average, every dollar a man made, a woman in the same position made 78 cents. That is a 22 percent wage gap between the sexes. However, even with this large gap, women are continuously moving up in the work force and world.
“Women have to work in a middle, lower class society because it is difficult to live off of one income,” said Murray. “I think there is this dichotomy women go through. They can be expected to be successful and be an individual in their job, but also to have and take of their children. To have a job and family goals, they do not always go together.”
Women always had different expectations from men, but now they are changing, especially with more women joining the work force. To this day, ACHS still has a variation of FHA. The name and its values changed since it merged with Home Economics Related Occupations (HERO) in the 1970s. FHA/HERO is now known as Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA). FCCLA changed from focusing on the housewife and now is accustomed to the description on its website: “FCCLA is a national Career and Technical Student Organization that provides personal growth, leadership development, and career preparation opportunities for students in Family and Consumer Sciences education.”
“I think it’s good that women’s [expectations changed]. Women were unhappy with their expectations so they decided to change that [and try] to make themselves equal as men” junior Kaleigh Miller said.
FCCLA, which predominantly had female members, now has a large of amount of male members as well. The national organization encourages community services and getting actual jobs in the field of Family and Consumer Sciences. FCCLA focuses more on the economics of living rather than home economics.
While men may still have the upper-hand in the workforce, the expectations of men and women continue to change.
“I hope we have evolved as a society to accept that primary roles are not set in stone and that we should not pigeon hole women to be exactly what society wants [them] to be, and the same goes to men,” said Murray. “The societal changes have not caught up. Some men are able to do a good job at raising a family, some still probably aren’t. Some still expect men to be the main breadwinner.”
Society’s expectations of women changed over time. Hopefully some day, women will be seen in the same light as men and will not have a wage gap or any inequality of that kind.
FUTURE
The year is 2014. The United States’ workforce is made up of 50 percent women and 50 percent men. The wage gap is at an all-time high of 28 percent with women making 72 cents for every dollar a man makes. The House of Representatives and the Senate, some of the most important places of power, are made up of a majority of men. There has yet to be a female President. Nothing changed.
The year is 2114. The United State’s workforce is made up of 65 percent women and 35 percent men. The wage gap is at an all-time low of three percent with women making one dollar for every 97 cents a man makes. The House of Representatives and the Senate, some of the most important places of power, are made up of a majority of women. Nine females were elected as U.S. President.
Between 2014 an 2114, anything could happen and change how women are seen in the workforce. Now, women make up just over half of America’s employees. They are paid less, on average, than men. But, with more and more women going to work, a lot of changes could be predicted for the future. At the same time, little change could also happen.
“I think that [expectations will] generally stay the same but that women will receive a little more respect in the work place as time goes on,” said Miller.
Compare the mid-1900s to 2014, and it is clear that women really made a positive impact on their expectations.
“I think [the change of expectations and what women do now] is a good thing. I think it will always be a struggle for women. They need to figure out how to balance [being a mother and having a job],” said Murray. “Now there are more women in positions of power. That will continue to effect how society views gender roles. But I really do not know how much more it will change.”
Depending on how women step up in the workforce and in positions of power will truly determine if there will be any future changes that could make women be seen as equal to men. Perhaps in 100 years, the pay gap will be non-existent. Perhaps in 100 years, the U.S. will elect at least one female President. Perhaps in 100 years, there won’t be a need for women to have to fight to change people’s expectations of them.