Throughout history women have been held to standards that are not expected of their male counterparts.  Boundaries have been set on what they can do, what they can have, who they can be with, if they can or cannot have children, and how they should act and dress.  In the light of today, many things are different but there is still much to do in order to advance the woman's rights and equality in our nation and the world.  Progression is slow, much like all movements in time, but it is steadily inching toward the central ideas of gender neutrality and breaking down boundaries that many are dreaming of.

Many of the T.V. episodes of the 1960's and 1970's have been "acceptable" in the past but would not be aired as new shows because of the ways women were regarded.  It displayed male dominance to the point where the women of the show were being look upon as property and had their days planned out for them and had no say in the decisions of their husbands.  Shows such as Leave it to Beaver, I Dream of Jeanie, Bewitched, Green Acres, and many more are examples of the "house wife".  These women did not work because they were the stay at home character and the show seems as to convey them as waiting on their husbands.  In "I Dream of Jeanie", the male was regarded to as master by a beautiful female Jeanie who seemed to have slave like qualities.  During multiple occasions he disregarded her personal aspirations and opinions and demanded that she do and said what he wanted.  This further pushed the evidence of male dominance.  In "Bewitched" and "Green Acres", the husband made the wife give up her way of life to fit his ideas.  No sense of compromise was included in the process.

This was the norm in these times.  Advertisements were made to make men feel good that they got their wife and new oven or mat to stand on while she washed dishes.  These shows are the "American classics" and are loved as such. No one pays attention to the underlying or blatant gender inequality.  If they do pay attention, the excuse is, "It was just the way of that time period." A counter argument to that statement is, "just because slavery was the norm at one point in history does not justify the cause." 

As shown in the image, women of today are faced with many of the same and different challenges.  When a woman works she is statistically at a downfall when it comes to making equal amounts of money and reaching the height desired in the field of choice.  President Obama addressed this issue for American citizens.  His statement was, "You know, today, women make up about half our workforce, but they still make 77 cents for every dollar a man earns.  That is wrong, and in 2014, it's an embarrassment. Women deserve equal pay for equal work."  Glass ceilings and gender role jobs make it very hard for women to move up in the pay role.  Many jobs view hiring women for certain jobs liabilities because of the possibility of them having a baby.  Some corporations do not feel the dependability of investing in a person who may possibly have to take leave.  

     Women are still placed under the pressures of family managing.  Some feel pressure from both husband and family.  A husband may want to have a child once he feels he is ready and can support a family.  Age plays a role in the males decision as well.  This may cause a woman to put her "life on hold".  No one should be forced to choose between two important decisions such as these.  While a woman may want to have a child, she may also choose to follow her dreams and aspirations of her career first.  

     Women throughout history have been undermined and told they must fit a certain mold in society.  The classic American view of a woman still shows through.  In corporations and in the military, women are forced to take gender specific jobs that often are less desirable and of lesser pay. Women are strong and are the makeup of our world. Once that is realized, and once she is able to voice her opinions, we will be able to advance.

