Why have women abandoned the traditional roles?

Question

Some groups claim these were perfect responsibilites for women, so why were females so anxious to expand their horizons?

Please no conspiracy theories, they have been proven wrong over and over again.

Answer 1

I think it was a good thing. Society is better off with smart, educated, contributing women. Of course the pendulum can (and probably has) swung too far on some issues, but eventually it will stabilize into a happy medium.

Where I think the real opportunities for further improvement are is with our teenage girls. Wouldn't it be wonderful if they thought it was cool to be smart, indepedent and strong, rather than boy-crazy, celebrity worshipping, and addicted to meaningless pap like 'fashion' and pop culture?

Answer 2

Because it is what the world needed! There are no "perfect responsibilities" for anyone...we are individuals with many different abilities and capabilities.

There are so many women that have so much to contribute. The arts, sciences, education, judiciary as well as the labor industry have all benefitted being co-gender. In all factions of life, the opportunities are tremendous for all. We should all live the life that we want, where our life brings us joy and satisfaction.
When not so long ago, a woman was valued by her birthing potential.
For many, valium and alchohol made the drudgery of the traditional role of a woman easier to accept. Others were fine with the traditional roles. The traditional woman wasn't supposed to enjoy sex, either... that was for the "other woman". But, there wasn't the fear of being the starter wife as there is today. So, as long as you had a husband, generally, your life was considered successful.

It has taken a long time for all women to even have a dream! One that at some point in her life may be realized. There has always been a few that stood firm in their conviction, and wouldn't take no for an answer. That is a good thing. It has made the world a better place to live in.

Women haven't abandoned the traditional role...most have merely escaped the imprisonment of it. Women still do play the role, for the most part, the difference is we don't have to go to sleep to follow our dreams.

Answer 3

Overall I would say that the abandonment freed women from the conformities that they were apparently getting tired of. I can't really say that they were perfect responsibilities for women (especially since males in some species are caregivers). But I can say it was another part of human ever-changing evolution. I think it was just the next step towards the next age of man: consumerism. By bringing women out of the house and convincing them that with the new responsibilities they now need new things, they were able to start a new wave of needs. This bodes well (especially for the U.S.) when trying to expand a country as quickly as we did. Without women participating in all these "new activities" and flooding the market with new "things" we never would be where we are today.

Also, after the first and second world wars when women had to become part of the work force (as did children), who wants to go back to the monotony?

Sort of off topic though: It also seems as sort of a Pandora's box, because with all of this arising, men have been confusingly displaced and haven't been given a clear line. This has caused men to feel wanted as a backup plan to the new/improved woman. All of the sudden we're basically forced to understand what you want when there is no clear line. We're asked to continue certain roles while completely losing others and being punished for not understanding (or conforming to the "old ways"). Hundreds of thousands of years of conformity and now men are just supposed to "figure it out". Kinda sucks for us, lol : )

Answer 4

However pivotal or vital the traditional roles are to the family unit and society as a whole....sometimes, they just aren't enough. They are frustrating at times, and don't have the excitement that an outside of the house career can offer. As well, being a SAHM can be a thankless job!!

Women are working for many years before they marry and have children now. So by the time children come along, the family unit has become accustomed to two incomes, and the women have had a taste of the stimulation that can only be found in a job outside the home.

I would also suggest, finally, that there is alot of pressure on women today to BE SOMETHING - BE SOMEONE! The media not only emphasizes unhealthy body images, they also promote the notion of 'having it all' - or being all things to all people. Hence the term, JUST a SAHM. Who wants to be 'just' anything??

Answer 5

There is a broader aspect to the issue as there are differing personalities. Many women still prefer and live in the traditional home setting and avoid career opportunities. Conversely there are men who are enjoying the role reversal initiated by a career minded spouse. Therefore the existence of opportunity does not preclude the preference of tradition. Women should not be denied the opportunity of a career if that is what they want and desire. Forcing a woman into a career is just as bad as forcing a woman to stay home as a homemaker.
Sometimes when I go the the supermarket and see a young woman pushing carts around with sweat dripping from her head I wonder if she has any idea of what it was like years ago for women and if she is actually making a choice or is impelled by modern societal norms which downplay traditional female roles.
Many women are forced into the work place and are unhappy and even bitter about it but unfortunately are having to pay a price from the fallout of the feminist movement as have some men who have forfeited their careers to women who now occupy that seat behind that desk. There are only so many jobs to go around. For every woman driving a truck and humping heavy boxes around there is a man trying to find a job somewhere else. Women have infiltrated every aspect of the job market. However, men don't need women to take male oriented job roles so obviously it's women that want to work these menial and laborious jobs. Maybe some men resent that fact but not all do as I stated earlier there are many men who are glad to be a homemaker. It's different strokes for different folks.

Answer 6

The roles that historically have been dictated to women are the roles of a second class citizen and women have been treated as such until recent decades by many men and society alike. This is not a put-down towards men, just a fact of combined history. Housewives and domestic services were interchangeable terms. The only difference was that one got paid and the other didn't.

Times have changed and women fought to be equal in the home, the schools and work places. We're expanding horizons because we've proved that we CAN and its more fulfilling than being a little southern bell type woman who has nothing better to do all day than her nails.

Andy (above) makes a lot of sense.

Answer 7

I don't think that women "abandoned" traditional roles. I think that most western women got out of the church kitchen and kids thing because they could and they wanted to. Simple as that.

And there were always women (even in Noerth America) who worked because they had to and women were often in situations where they had adult responsibilities but didn't have the adult rights. That's the truth.

Yes part of the change was from technology and industrialised society and changed the types of jobs and made more mental jobs.

And we all know the history of how World War 2 had a need for women in industry quickly. And the pill was very important because it prevented accidents but women were fighting for their rights and starting to go into trades and professions before that.

But What Really Happened was from women seeing that there was more to life that they could have and neded to have and there was no good reason not to have it and they Fought for the right to go for it.

Most women didn't just say I don't want to be a mother and wife and "abandon" traditional roles. They fought like hell for equal rights and opportunities. We still are!

Edit: Reading some of the other answers. Nothing for nothing but Most women in the world Don't live in some nice white American suburb. I know y'all Know that but it's good to keep in mind when someone asks a question like this.

Answer 8

It depends. Poor women have always worked outside the home. They didn't have that luxury of deciding to give up their careers and having someone else provide for them. They had to work or else their children could starve. Rich women had a staff to do all the domestic chores for them, including caring for their children. These women really didn't do much around the house at all. They were more likely to be engaged in social activities that kept them away from the home much of the time. So, there aren't really any "tradtional roles" at all.

Answer 9

why have they ...
I dont really know - apart from feminism seems to be a big drive behind it. Many ideas and reasons seem reasonable. But with it all the roles for both genders have changed, and more people find things more confusing as there are no longer any roles beyond open competition for positions of what they feel are strong ones - odd as to why so many relationships so quickly and bitterly breakdown considering that isnt it?

just means things have yet to calm down in the wake of all the change and for people to learn the new ways of things ... or maybe thats how it will stay.

Answer 10

There is nothing un-traditional about women working outside the home. If you look back through history, it was only for a brief few years that women were full-time homemakers - and that was a demonstration of postwar economic status.

Women as primary caregivers to children (and the elderly) is a role that has not been abandoned. Women have simply taken on additional roles (again). As technology and society progress, we will see both genders changing roles to adapt to changing needs.