Society is Reversing History...Why?
Prior to taking this course, I’ll admit that I didn’t know much about the history of the women’s movement. I had some basic knowledge of the fight for women’s suffrage rights during the early-mid 1900s and about the ongoing fight for women’s reproductive rights with respect to effective contraception and abortion. However, without taking this class, I would have never found out about other important dates. Prior to 1860, women weren’t allowed joint custody of their children. This is something I find quite ironic since in the typical American family the mother is thought of as the “caregiver�. Also, I find it interesting that the first woman to head a presidential cabinet did so in 1933, 74 years ago, and a woman has still yet to be President of the United States. I also think that it’s a good idea to know about some of the lesser known events of the women’s movement, the seemingly smaller things that add up to really mean something. These such events include the starting of female athletic teams, sexual harassment rights, universal daycare, etc.. The ongoing struggle for women’s rights puzzles me…why does it seem as though we are reversing the things that previous generations of women fought so hard for? For instance, when considering the issue of abortion, Roe v. Wade happened in 1973, giving women the right to safe and legal abortions. Women have held the slogan “Our Bodies, Ourselves� for years, why is it that today, people are trying to reverse the decision? I would think that my generation would be more liberal and understanding than that. I think that it is important that more of these women’s studies’ events be taught to children in school. That way, the women’s movement won’t face the retreat into history that it faces now.