The changing role of women over the years

The role of women up until the late 18th century was mainly restricted to household duties. The traditional roles of men and women were socially defined. Women were not allowed to own or inherit property; nor were they allowed to vote.  Their roles, depending on their social status were largely to take care of the home, children and at best to be culturally adept at singing, playing instruments etc. The women from weaker sections of society were, in most cases, not even able to read or write. 

However, the second world war was a major factor in changing the role of women in the years to come. The war required most countries to send their abled bodied men to war and this created a huge vacuum in the work force. Industrial revolution was picking up steam and the requirement for larger and larger workforces was the need of the hour. Men were either getting killed in battle or were on the front fighting. This created a space for women to step in as factory workers, drivers as well as for the war effort among other areas. Even after the war had ended, these changed gender roles never went back exactly to the way things were. 

Women during WWII proved that they could do the so called “man’s work” and have never looked back since. Women had discovered independence and they were not willing to give it up easily, if ever. And while WWII created a major shift in Europe and the US, other developing countries had their own battle with the changing role of women. In some areas the west was ahead; while countries like India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan have always had women at the forefront of Politics unlike their Western counterparts. 

Many women around the world have fought tough battles and paved the way for the opportunities that we as girls enjoy today. Women like Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) who used her art to express taboo subjects surrounding women, Ida B. Wells (1862-1931) was a founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP), Yuri Kochiyama (1921-2014) who fought a lifelong fight against racism.

While even today women are fighting to close the gender pay gap and many countries around the world need  to support their women to get better opportunities, fact is that things are brighter than they have ever been. Some examples that give us hope are companies like Google, where 40% of employees are women; corporate leadership in the hands of women is at an all-time high with CEO’s like Indra Nooyi former chairperson and CEO of PepsiCo. , Whitney Wolfe Herd the founder and CEO of Bumble (online dating platform) , Sonia Syngal businesswomen who served as CEO of GAP (apparel company from the US).

The role of women is constantly changing and while many women still struggle with rules imposed on them by their families or society, more women today have the freedom to define their own role, than any other time in history.

Check out some of our other articles here!!