Women to the White House

What is being a feminist? Certainly, some might claim that a feminist is simply an outspoken female supporter for women's rights. But to say that feminists are so singular and narrow-minded is incorrect. First of all, feminist is a term that can be applied to both males or females. The true agenda of a feminist is considerably broad and diverse; feminists are people who want to end injustice in the world.



In the news, celebrities such as Emma Watson have greatly increased support for the feminist movement. Watson, an ambassador for the United Nations, has made the notion of feminism seem less radical and more acceptable. She has made it much easier for people, especially the younger generation to develop an interest in politics. It is important today to note how far women have gotten in their quest for equality. In fact, the growing acceptance for females in traditionally male dominated professions shows the emergence of a more accepting world.

The 2016 election for presidency will hopefully mark a new turning point for women with the presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. ]Her campaign for presidency has made girls realize that they too can become president one day. Hillary Clinton being elected as the president of the United States would make society acknowledge that women are capable of going from running their households at home to running the nation at the White House.

The concept of women tackling professions outside of their households has not always been so welcome in society. Going far back to the start of human civilization with agrarian societies, men and women worked side by side and shared the roles of working in the house. Later however, the rise of capitalism led men to start acquiring jobs outside of the homes and away from their wives. It was around this time that the notion of women being the one to "stay-at-home" came into being. While the men were out in public earning the wealth, women were at home in the private sphere, the women's sphere.

During 19th century America, women were expected to only cook, clean, and run their households. The prevailing ideology was that of sentimental domesticity, the notion that women were supposed to make the homes a sanctuary for their husbands so that they could rest after a long day of work. Along the way, however, something started a crack to form in this way of life. The disruption was the American Civil War of 1861-1865.

Because of the Civil War, women had to send their sons, brothers, and husbands off to fight in the war. This made sentimental domesticity into a paradox. After all, what was the use in making the homes into havens for the men if all the men were away fighting? Artists of the time created propaganda images of soldiers dreaming of home and the welcoming embrace of their wives and children. These images reassured women that their men were indeed still thinking of home and helped to reconcile the war effort with sentimental domesticity. 

Nevertheless, there was a change in women's roles as a result of the duties and responsibilities women had to take on. Wartime contributions helped to expand many women's ideas about what their proper place should be. In the beginning, women at home gathered supplies and made clothing for the army troops. But, as time passed, it was not enough. With the war effort and the shortage of men, women wanted to contribute more.

Women began to take up occupations outside the house as teachers, clerks, and nurses. At first women were denied permission to work in military hospitals as they were exposed to sights no lady should see. But high casualties and a lack of doctors and nurses made it so that female medical personnel became acceptable. Pioneers such as Dorothea Dix and Clara Barton helped with medical reform. Dorothea Dix worked to help remove the mentally ill from prisons and place them in state hospitals. Clara Barton used her experience as a Civil War nurse to form the American Red Cross. The 19th century also saw the emergence of the leaders of the suffragette movement such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton. 

While in hindsight, the past seems to unroll in logical storylines this was not the case for those that lived through it. Historical contingency is the theory that the paths that life can evolve on are constrained by random events. Historical events such as the suffragette movement therefore are contingent on multiple random causes that shape when, how, and why an event happened the way it did.