Women’s Equality Since The 19th Century

Explain how far women’s equality has progressed since the early 1800s.

Since the 1800s, many aspects of a women’s every day life significantly changed due to the evolution in society.

Back then, in the urban area, women were expected to fulfil domestic responsibility such as cooking, managing a low budget and making candles, soap, etc. They also had to make and repair clothing. In addition, women had no voice when it came to decision making. If the men (head of household) made a decision, the women had to just follow their say. Nowadays, both sides of a couple make decisions for their family or themselves. In most cases, both voices have an equal importance when it comes to decision making. However, women are still expected to cook for their families, but they now have more of a choice in doing so.

During the 1800s, in the rural area, women were seen and treated as “objects”. They were the ones responsible for feeding their families. Also, fur traders only wanted to take advantage of women from their marriage. The men benefited because their wives had access to forts/trading posts, they acted as interpreters and navigators (guides), and they had survival skills. Nowadays, most cultures base their marriage on pure love, not for taking advantage of one another.