Blog post 2

         Women have been minorities politically and socially throughout history. They have been viewed as "second class citizens" for a long time. Abolition was one of the first things that women fought for. Maria W. Miller Stewart played a big role in this movement. She spoke about religion and how every person had natural rights. "She based her claims on natural rights, and she saw those claims as equally applicable to women like herself." Her speeches made a difference even though she could only speak in front of a small crowd. Women had to fight for their rights and had to work hard to get them. With out people like Maria Miler Stewart or Betty Friedan I might not be able to be in college right now getting an education. These women are the reason why every women today are able to support themselves with out a husband and able to make something of themselves. 
         The Feminine Mystique Written by Betty Freidan fought to end discrimination based on sex. She was a college graduate and a suburban house wife and in her book she points out how women are dissatisfied with their lives. It shows how women can be so much more then just a house wife. She tried to show women that they should want to be succesful and be a mother. This is an issue that we still see today. Women are pressured to make a choice between a career and a family. But why is this not the same for men? There are plenty of successful men that have it all the career and the family but why is that much more difficult for women. There is a stigma on women that they should still be the stay at home mom. Even though it has become less of a shock when there are stay at home dads the majority are still stay at home women. There have been some changes though like with the laundry commercial that shows a stay at home dad doing the chores and taking care of the kids. But this still is not the norm and women are still discriminated against in the work force. The fact that women get maternity leave make men want to hire a man over a women for this reason alone. So women are being punished for potentially having a family. And then there is another stigma that if you are a women and you have a successful career and no family you are looked down on for that. You can never win as a women.
      Women have come so far since the fist women's movement but at the same time we are not as progressive as we think we are. There are still stigmas put on women who have a career and don't have a family and the same for if you have a family and no career. The Women's movements have made the paths for us women to be as successful as we have been and has allowed us to come as far as we have. With out them and all of their efforts we might of never had the opportunities that we have had.