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A shift in women's status
A change has happened in the 20th century, when in the 1920s millions of people in the US migrated from the countryside to cities, where more modern views were held and practiced. This was a pre-step in getting more acknowledgement, freedom and equal treatment.
Later on, in the 1930s and 1940s, as World War 2 raged on and resources and manpower were low, women were incorporated in the labor, preparations, assistance of the soldiers in the frontlines and at home. They were given primary positions which were very important to the remainder of the war.
Their positions were mainly those of nurses, seamstresses, food suppliers and many other positions traditionally associated with women, but it was a big leap when they were incorporated in the war effort because until then it wasn't allowed. The totality of the war actually brought about their incorporation in the war, and sometimes even in crucial positions.
After the war had ended, women realized that if they were good enough to help the war effort and do their jobs just like men did, why shouldn't they be able to do these things and other things in their everyday lives? The movement of the liberation of women began to sprout. Women claimed that if they were good enough to participate in the war effort and do their jobs exactly like men, they should also be able to do any job in real life and be acknowledged as equal to men.
They also stated that without their help, the soldiers wouldn't have their supplies, their clothing, their medical assistance and so on. This notion of gender equality continued to increase in supporters until eventually, in the 1960s, the sexual revolution truly emerged, and in the decade of free love, equality and freedom, women's rights and their status in society were truly fought for and eventually won (Macionis, n.d).
Even so, sexism is still evident today and is quite common. Women still don't get equal right as men; they are still discriminated against in various places, including the workplace where they earn less money than men for the exact same job. Unlike before, women now have basic rights- they can vote, they can choose what to do with their lives, and they're much freer.
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