Essay for GHA
Okay here's the essay i wrote for the Governer's Honors thingy. Tell me what you think.
The Happy Housewife
Written By Brittany Ayers
Throughout the ages the oppression of women has been passed off as the natural order of things. Books and therapists of the past have told housewives and their daughters that they should simply be satisfied with their husbands and children; that there was nothing else out there for them that would do them any good. These guilt-ridden women, ashamed that they weren’t satisfied with the happy family scenario, suffered in silence, often developing illnesses derived from their intense depression. Doctors were baffled as more and more perfectly healthy women fell victim to Housewife’s Syndrome, and those women who were independent and happy were looked down upon. Feminists who had fought for their freedoms in the years before, were frustrated with the feeling that all they had worked for was now being thrown away by the next generation of women who were just trying to adjust to their roles of mother and wife. The women of America needed to be liberated again.
Education was a second priority by the 1950’s generation of women. Girls only went to college if they weren’t engaged yet. Most women dropped out of college as soon as they were married and often helped to put their husbands through school. Meanwhile new classes were made to help girls adjust to their roles after marriage. Testaments from happy housewives were frequently exposed to the students, while the workingwomen who were happy in with their independence weren’t mentioned. The ultimate thrill was supposed to be no more than the satisfaction of the clean house you worked so hard on.
As time went along women stopped being slaves to their household and started liberating themselves. Problems still exist, however the women of this generation are well enough off that they hardly think about what having their rights really means. The true meaning of feminism has been lost along with the real causes. This generation is now starting to digress as freedoms and equality among men and women are slowly being taken away again. The situations and conditions of our feminine past are not being exposed in depth to today’s women. Students are taught history to keep the past from repeating itself, but if we aren’t informed we can’t help but fall back into the same pattern.
The birthrate among teenagers in high school is continuously increasing, because most of these girls don’t see the consequences of their actions as harmful. These girls don’t worry about not being capable to continue their education, or be able, independent women in society. They take on their roles as mother as if they never had any other option. College to them isn’t a big deal. A study on elementary school students has shown that whereas teachers commented on the intelligence of the male students, the female students were complimented on appearance. If the ideals of our society are subconsciously taught, then the question must arise, “What are we teaching the children of America?”
The Happy Housewife
Written By Brittany Ayers
Throughout the ages the oppression of women has been passed off as the natural order of things. Books and therapists of the past have told housewives and their daughters that they should simply be satisfied with their husbands and children; that there was nothing else out there for them that would do them any good. These guilt-ridden women, ashamed that they weren’t satisfied with the happy family scenario, suffered in silence, often developing illnesses derived from their intense depression. Doctors were baffled as more and more perfectly healthy women fell victim to Housewife’s Syndrome, and those women who were independent and happy were looked down upon. Feminists who had fought for their freedoms in the years before, were frustrated with the feeling that all they had worked for was now being thrown away by the next generation of women who were just trying to adjust to their roles of mother and wife. The women of America needed to be liberated again.
Education was a second priority by the 1950’s generation of women. Girls only went to college if they weren’t engaged yet. Most women dropped out of college as soon as they were married and often helped to put their husbands through school. Meanwhile new classes were made to help girls adjust to their roles after marriage. Testaments from happy housewives were frequently exposed to the students, while the workingwomen who were happy in with their independence weren’t mentioned. The ultimate thrill was supposed to be no more than the satisfaction of the clean house you worked so hard on.
As time went along women stopped being slaves to their household and started liberating themselves. Problems still exist, however the women of this generation are well enough off that they hardly think about what having their rights really means. The true meaning of feminism has been lost along with the real causes. This generation is now starting to digress as freedoms and equality among men and women are slowly being taken away again. The situations and conditions of our feminine past are not being exposed in depth to today’s women. Students are taught history to keep the past from repeating itself, but if we aren’t informed we can’t help but fall back into the same pattern.
The birthrate among teenagers in high school is continuously increasing, because most of these girls don’t see the consequences of their actions as harmful. These girls don’t worry about not being capable to continue their education, or be able, independent women in society. They take on their roles as mother as if they never had any other option. College to them isn’t a big deal. A study on elementary school students has shown that whereas teachers commented on the intelligence of the male students, the female students were complimented on appearance. If the ideals of our society are subconsciously taught, then the question must arise, “What are we teaching the children of America?”