I appreciate the steps and boundaries the woman before me
took in order for the woman of today to have equal rights. They were deprived
from many different things. They had to have known that there was something
better in store. Not only did the world treat then differently, but their
spouses did also. “He has withheld her from rights which are given to the most
ignorant and degraded men- both natives and foreigners “Declaration of
Sentiments 51).” It’s easy for me to say, “Those men are crazy, it would be
impossible for me to put up with that”. Let a man tell me I can’t do this or
that. Humph! He surely will be put in his space in zero point five seconds. In
my opinion I’ve already accomplished something man said woman couldn’t do. They
said woman couldn’t join the armed forces; it was a MAN’s job. I’m a member of
the biggest baddest fighting machines the US has seen, the United States Army.
Anything a man can do, I can do better! Plenty of people said I wouldn’t last a
week. Though I cried and struggled through the two mile, a year ago today I graduated
basic combat training top of my class, but they said I couldn’t do it! I
consider myself to have the power in anything I do. My grandmother didn’t raise
me to wait on a man hand and foot, nor did I witness her doing so for my
grandfather. I was raised with morals, confidence, and dignity. Yes, I believe
in catering to my spouse, but don’t get it misunderstood, he knows his
boundaries!
I think a big issue with the treatment of women was the psychological abuse handed down by men in the society. We've seen in many of the pieces we've read that men are not slow to verbally rebuke women, even those they are close to, in very dehumanizing ways. This is recognized by Stanton in the "Declaration of Sentiments": "He has endeavored in every way that he could, to destroy her confidence in her own powers, to lessen her self-respect, and to make her willing to lead a dependent and abject life" (Stanton 52). Even today you see this traditional gender structure revolve around the constant demeaning of the female in order to win her obedience. I believe that this fear of female independence, and its contrast: male insecurity, is a driving factor in the gender roles played out through society.
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