The Role of Gender in Leadership Positions in the U.S.

Since the beginning of the nation, Women in the U.S. were viewed as only being able to take care of domestic affairs. While some women stuck to the gender norms, others decided to break out of these roles. These women found various ways to practice this breaking of norms. Some decided that the easiest way to help women gain more rights was through persuading their husbands. For instance, Abigail Adams, the first ever formal first lady, sent her husband, John Adams, a letter in which she stated,” . . . Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands.”. This quotation shows that Abigail was telling her husband that during the 2nd Continental Congress, men should try to be more generous to women and give them more rights through the Constitution they were crafting. Abigail wrote many other letters to her husband which is what people know her for and illustrates the role she had in the women’s rights movement(even though this is decades before the true “start” of the movement).

As the nation grew economically, the factories created during the Market Revolution that targeted women as their main employees helped show women that they did not have to rely on a man for a source of income. These factories also allowed for women to be able to communicate and “gossip” which led to more women realizing they did not want to only be in charge of domestic affairs. These ideas continued after the 2nd Great Awakening while society was being reformed. Key events and figures consisted of the Seneca Falls Convention, Sojourner Truth, and Susan B. Anthony. The Seneca Falls Convention was the first women’s rights convention in the U.S. During this convention 11 resolutions were created with the biggest one being the ninth stating that women should gain the right to vote. Although this resolution sparked outrage in society, seven decades later women will finally gain the right to vote. Sojourner Truth was a popular abolitionist and women’s rights advocate. As women were fighting to gain rights, she made sure that all women were included in this discussion, not only white women. She combined her fight to end slavery in the U.S. and for women to gain rights to ensure that all women of color were able to get the same benefits white women would get. Finally, Susan B. Anthony was a prominent women’s rights movement activist who at the age of 17 was able to form petitions and protest for abolition and for all women to have equal pay. Women’s hard work at the Seneca Falls Convention and women like Sojourner Truth and Susan B. Anthony pad off decades later through the passing of the 19th Amendment.

Their work is even shown in this century. Data shows that 27.9% of the 117th U.S. Congress is women which is a 50% increase from last decade(2010’s). Even though this number shows growth, women still are not represented closely to men in government and other executive roles. As women today still fight for equal rights to men, the hard work of our society’s ancestors is still being able to have an impact.

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