Research Paper on "Role of Woman in Society"

Research Paper 4 pages (1387 words) Sources: 5

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Role of Woman in Society

The purpose of the present paper is to discuss the role of the woman in the American society during the period of the Great Depression. In order to support the discussion we will be analyzing John Steinbeck's novel "The grapes of wrath."

The context of our discussion is very important. The great depression implied a terrible diminishment of the life level. The crisis had a very large number of people loose their jobs. This had a strong impact upon families and gender roles as well. Research regarding this period reveals that a lot of men actually left their wives because they had lost respect of themselves. Until the great depression the role of the married woman was to stay at home, taking care of the house and the family. The man was the worker, the provider.

Once the man lost his job, he also lost his status of provider. People had to appeal to their relatives or the government in order to survive. In addition, families could not afford to have both members stay at home. Therefore women had to work outside the house. "This contributed greatly to the change of the social status of the woman who acquired more power and more importance. Since the woman's contribution to the financial survival of the family was just as important as the man's, this suggested that her position was equal with that of the man." (Scharf)

From a certain point-of-view it could be stated that the roles were reversed. "Men could no longer fulfil the role of providers and that made them feel weak and ashamed. This affected their self-esteem and many of them lost hope and did not even look for work."(Gender roles and sexual relations, impact of the great depression)

Women on the other hand realized that they could make an important contribution to the survival of the families. They could work outside the home and they were good at it. This made them feel strong and boosted their self-esteem. They now realized the complexity of their role. Working outside the home did not imply that they stopped taking care of the family and the house. While they received more advantages in terms of social power, they also got a lot more responsibilities. "The sexual division of labor within the home meant that housework in general remained the almost exclusive responsibility of women." (Baillargeon)

The power of men derived from their statuses of protectors and providers. They were superior to women, but this superiority derived from their very social status. Once the status changed, they no longer had the power associated with it and they felt their very identity as men was threatened. Not only were men unable to fulfil the roles they were used to, but they also depended on their women.

This must have been humiliating for many of them. In addition there were men who thought that it was because of the great number of women who were working that the jobs for men diminished. "However it must be mentioned that men refused to do jobs which were considered to be women's jobs. The diminishment of marriages as well as the drop of the birth rates is another sign about the change of women's status and their newly gained independence and self sufficiency." (Gender roles and sexual relations, impact of the great depression)

All these changes are reflected in Steinbeck's book "The grapes of wrath." At the beginning, Ma Joad looks up to Pa in order to be sure that she can speak. She waits for his decisions because he is the man. But the situation changes so much that she becomes the central authority. All the members of the family look up to her for everything. She demonstrates incredible courage and strength of character. Pa tends to rebel and sometimes from his actions it seems that he is frustrated about the loss of power and authority.

The physical appearance of the woman suggests her strength. If we were to judge her in respect to the four female archetypes that Jung speaks about, we could say that she represents mother nature. She keeps the… READ MORE

How to Reference "Role of Woman in Society" Research Paper in a Bibliography

Related Research Papers:

Role of Woman in Society Research Paper

Role of Women in Society

The role women should hold in society is a topic that is debated with increasing vigor as time progresses. There was a time when women… read more

Research Paper 4 pages (1592 words) Sources: 5 Topic: Literature / Poetry

---

Role of Women in Tibet Research Paper

Role of Women in Tibet

Women as freedom fighters

Women portrayed as being care takers

Women as keepers of culture

Women portrayed as being career people

Tibetan women as peace… read more

Research Paper 14 pages (3624 words) Sources: 10 Topic: Women / Feminism

---

Role of Women Since World War Term Paper

Role of Women Since World War 2 (WWII)

The role of women in society may have changed more during and after World War Two than any other period in human… read more

Term Paper 7 pages (1757 words) Sources: 3 Style: Chicago Topic: Women / Feminism

---

Role of Women in the Family Term Paper

Changing Role of Women in the Family

Role of Women in the Family

In what ways did the role of women in society change during this period?

Two hundred years… read more

Term Paper 2 pages (582 words) Sources: 1 Topic: Women / Feminism

---

Women's History Research Paper

Women's History Questions

In the early days of the United States, particularly the 1790's, women had a very limited role in public and political life. However, the massive political changes… read more

Research Paper 5 pages (1670 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Women / Feminism

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>