Dyl Lockwood McGough Section HA Draft Due: 11-15-13 Argument of Fact In 1869, Susan B.

Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton formed the National Womens Suffrage Association. In 1920, the nineteenth amendment for womens right to vote was passed. Roe v. Wade case was settled in 1973 giving women the right to have an abortion. Ever since 1869, women have been fighting for equality and for their rights. However, women still hold men up to a certain standard and expect them to be chivalrous and do the mens jobs like working on their car or fixing a broken cabinet in the kitchen. Even though women have been fighting for rights for hundreds of years, there are still gender-role stereotypes in society that are extremely prevalent. If one were to overhear a conversation between two teenage girls talking about their recent escapades, they may hear a few things about a boy. Quotes may be, but not limited to, I wish he would just ask me out, Why hasnt he texted me yet, I want him to kiss me but he has to make the first move. If women constantly want to stop being compared to men as the weaker of the two, why do they not step up and ask them out, text him first, or make the first move. A man being the one to make a first move is a stereotype that women have yet to change. After talking to girls that are in relationships, I came to the conclusion that women are typically not the person to ask out their significant other. This is the same case when asking who made the first move. Out of ten girls, only one of them made the first move. This being said, 90% of women have the viewpoint that men are the ones who should be making the first move, as shown in Figure One. Dr. Michael Mills, a Psychology professor at Loyola Marymount University, questioned why women have not stepped up to their words when one of the main goals of the Womens movements was equal rights, equal responsibilities. The March for Womens Lives took place in 2004 in Washington DC with over one million participants. These were women that were fighting for equality with men in the workplace and in politics. However, the United States has yet to have a female president. The only candidate that has come close to election is Hilary Clinton in 2008. From Women in Elective Office 2013, the numbers prove that though women

Figure 1: Males would rather ask someone out and females want to be the one to be asked out Source: Dr. Michael Mills

are becoming a prevalent part of political leaders, they have yet to become equal to men. In 2013, women have only made up 18.3% of the United States Congress in comparison to men who make up 81.7%. Numbers show that most people still feel strongly towards the fact that only men can be successful political leaders. Women have gained their rights such as being a part of the government locally and even nationally, gaining the right to vote, and have broken some, but not all stereotypes. Women fight for the right to be considered equal in job roles such as doctors, firefighters, and police officers. These examples are from the success of their equal rights claim during the Womens Movement. Though they have upheld their responsibilities in job titles, they have not broken down the barrier of gender roles especially in homes. Women are still typically expected to clean the house, take care of the kids, and cook dinner while the male is the one who brings home the bacon and is the handyman of the household. Overall, women have fought for equal rights but may not have proven to break down the barrier of common gender-role stereotypes. These stereotypes include making the first move or cleaning the house. Studies have shown that women are commonly the ones to be asked out while males are the ones doing the asking. Women have yet to completely emerge as political leaders. Though women have come a long way from the era of Susan B. Anthony, where womens rights were hardly heard of, stereotypes can dominate what women have fought for.

Works Cited Mills, Michael, Dr. "Why Don't Women Ask Men Out on First Dates." The How and Why of Sex Differences. Sussex Publisher, 30 Apr. 2011. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. "Timeline: The U.S. Women's Movement." PBS. Independent Television Service, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. "Women in Elective Office 2013." Center for American Women and Politics. Eagleton Institution of Politics, 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.