Oppression Of Women Essay

Shirley Chisholm recognized the suppression of women in society by saying, “The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says: “It’s a girl.” Through their entire lives, women face repression caused by idea that they are inferior to men. The oppression and exploitation of women are an inherent part of society, displayed by the institution of marriage, political documents, and previous political movements.
As an illustration of this, in “The Story of an Hour,” writes about a character who faces marital oppression reflective of the time period the story was written in. Chopin's stories are renowned in feminist literature, and show how society denies female independence and sensuality. ("Katherine
In the document, Jefferson writes about how all men are created equal and that when a government becomes tyrannical, "it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government." He goes on to state the problems King George had caused and how they make him a tyrant. Ironically, it does not mention women or the oppression they faced. To emphasize this irony and compare the suffering of women to that of the colonists, Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote "The Declaration of Sentiments." Stanton was a leading figure of feminism in the 1800's and inspired many women through this document (Giesberg 2011). Women felt like slaves because they had just as many rights and were treated as property. She writes that men have made women "civilly dead," if married and "taken from her all right in property, even to the wages she earns." This shows the hypocrisy of a country that clearly displays how much they value freedom and liberty, but still oppresses women. They had no rights and couldn't vote to change that, yet they still had to follow all of the laws and pay taxes. This document was so controversial and inspiring that it started the women's rights