We live in a society that is constantly evolving with changes having to be made to accommodate the present time realities. A society is defined as an “enduring and cooperating social group whose members have developed organized patterns of relationships through interaction with one another” (Merriam-Webster dictionary).
Our society is defined by the differences in roles played by the various members who constitute the society. These roles are based on cultural views, traditions and in most cases, these roles are differentiated by gender.
However, these gender roles are not static and they have experienced significant changes in the last few decades. This paper shall set out to articulate the roles that women play in modern day society. These roles shall be viewed under the backdrop of the roles that women played in traditional times so as to demonstrate the differences and similarities in the same. The reasons behind the apparent differences or similarities shall also be provided.
The changing of roles for women from the traditional ones can traces its roots to the colonial period. It was in the colonial American era where the traditional role of women was reinvented due to the realities of the new world. Prior to the colonial era, the roles of women were greatly limited by the traditional attitudes of women as the “weaker sex”.
As the “weaker sex”, their roles were restricted to taking care of the bringing up the family and settling household chores. These previously clearly defined roles began to be blurred mostly as a consequence of the labor deficit in colonial America which led to a state where the contribution by the women was most vital for the survival of the family.
The roles of women in today’s society are therefore more diverse and include both traditional and non-traditional roles. Women’s role in today’s society can be classified under 3 broad categories which are: the housewife, the working women and the entrepreneur.
The prevalence of women in each of these 3 categories has changed significantly with there being a shift from the prevalence of women in the housewife role to more women joining the working class. As such, modern society is characterized by a scenario whereby women are increasingly joining institutes of higher learning and joining the work force at higher rates than ever before. A significant change in the role of women has been the increase in the number of women in the working class category. The women who fall under this category include the married, unmarried and divorced women who can be with children or without women. The reason for the significant increase in the number of working class women has been the greater acceptance of women in the workplace by the society.
From the discussions presented herein, it is clear that while the roles that women play may vary, no one category of roles that women fulfill can be considered to be better than the others since each role is important and makes a positive contribution to society. Furthermore, there are instances whereby women perform multiple roles such as being a homemaker and maintaining a part-time job to subsidize the family’s expenses.
This paper has also revealed that in as much as women have been empowered and have taken up positions in the workforce, they are still inclined to perform the traditional role of home making and taking care of their children even at the expenses of their careers. From this paper, it is clear that the interaction among the various roles that women play is essential to the success of women and of the society as a whole.