Women In The Work Force

The term, Sexism, is defined as, "a term that denotes the discriminatory and prejudicial treatment of women based on their gender" (2006). Sexism has been an issue women in the United States have struggled with, dating all the way back, to colonial times. During that time, women were considered second-class citizens whose sole purpose in life was to take care of the home and children. A married woman did not have the right to own property, maintain their own wages, sign a contract, or vote ( Historychannel). Women were expected to be obedient of their husband's wishes and to never express a competing opinion of their own (historychannel). Society began to legitimize their negative views of women by preaching versus of the Bible which claimed women were not only intellectually inferior to men but were also a great source of temptation and evil. Scientific theories have even been a source promoting sexist mindsets. For example, Social Darwinist held the belief that women were incapable of holding positions of power because their menstrual cycles would cause them to have severe mood swings. In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution granted women the right to vote. This was a huge accomplishment, however, it did little to improve their social and economic status. In 1963, Congress passed the Equal Pay Act which required that men and women be equally compensated for carrying out the same job under the same conditions. As part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, sex discrimination in employment practices were prohibited and courts were provided the right to redress. In 1972, employers who were found practicing sex discrimination were to be prohibited from receiving federal contracts (Karger et al. 2006). In 1972, Congress also drafted the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) which required that men and women be treated equally. The ERA was never ratified as there were only 35 states in support and 38 were needed for it to pass. Although, we have successfully eliminated many discriminatory practices against women, there is still a great need for improvement.

Today,

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