Women and Society free essay sample

Women and Society Tannen, Kingston, and Sandberg all provide insight on the subject of the cultural expectations American women face on a daily basis. Women have always been thought to be intellectually and physically inferior when in comparison to men. Throughout time, women’s potential was limited, as they were expected to be nothing more than housewives. Today, American women are powerful and intelligent, living up to their potential. Although women have come so far along, they still receive harsh views; their success, rather than being applauded, is criticized. New doors opened for women with opportunities in education, the work place, and even their social life. A great step forward for women was gaining the right to vote in 1920; empowering them as far as to feel the liberty to pursue more personal freedoms. Women begin engaging publicly in â€Å"male† activities, such as smoking and drinking. They worked toward attaining sexual freedom as well as equality in the work place. We will write a custom essay sample on Women and Society or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Skirt lengths went up, hair was cut, and the journey began for women’s success! The right to vote for American women it paved way for women leaders, such as Nancy Pelosi, who became the first female Speaker of the House. In the 1940s, as World War II played in the background, women took the jobs of the men gone at war. Their efforts during the war proved the misconception that women were incapable of manual labor. This was a significant because men realized that women were able to keep the country moving. In the article â€Å"His Politeness Is Her Powerlessness†, Tannen states that â€Å"women’s style is negatively evaluated† (9). Each culture has its own customs and beliefs on how women should behave. Often we find that men tend to speak straight forward and demanding, overpowering a woman’s soft voice. Since women are emotionally tied, they speak indirectly as a form of respect, or as others would consider it, playing it safe. But rather, men take this form of speech as â€Å"sneaky† and â€Å"covert† (3). In an article focused on Sheryl Sandberg, we find that women’s success is  viewed negatively. An experiment was led by the Columbia Business School and New York University professors where they gave the students a success story with two versions, in one story the person’s name was â€Å"Howard† and in the other the person’s name was â€Å"Heidi†. The results were that ‘Howard came across as a more appealing colleague† and on the other hand, ‘Heidi was seen as selfish’ (11). While males are recognized as being â€Å"assertive† and â€Å"taking leadership†, females are simply seen as â€Å"bossy† (9). As a female, I am very proud of how far women have come along, not letting themselves get held back. Women have surpassed the â€Å"standards† a woman had, such as to be nothing more than a housewife. Women have proven that they can perform any task men can. Today’s American women are powerful and intelligent, though dealing with constant negativity. Women lack confidence, therefore allowing the put-downs to continue. Accepting their compliments would help gain the confidence to match their power and potential.