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Assignment 04 – Marlena Esposito

Before reading this piece, I did believe that capitalism directly caused sexism and worked to harm women each day. Women were unable to have equal rights in the workforce, were placed in unfair unsafe working conditions, and are not given the same wages to this day. In this piece, women are described as having their work being valued as less than that of a man’s. Because of the fact that they are women, the bosses are able to pay them less and treat them more poorly, which is seen as normal by the white male population. Women were increasingly seen as housewives, which were expected to stay at home and work from there, relying on the wages of the man. Women who worked outside of the home still had little access to resources because of their low wages; for example, if a woman worked in a wheat factory it would still be very likely that she could not afford bread on her own. This system caused women to have to rely on men, staying with them and being unhappy just to make a living. Separation was impossible for economic reasons as well as societal reasons, so women were forced to stay in unhappy or abusive marriages because it would be impossible for them to live otherwise. Many women were politically involved during this time, protesting food shortages and unfair working conditions. Women rose up against their unfair treatment, and fought for their rights as seen in the years previous to this. To me this shows the persistence and strength of women, as they are always continuously faced with disadvantages that they fight against. The rebellion and efforts of women are extremely important to the history of women, as it demonstrates the effectiveness of women coming together to fight against patriarchal rule and unfair conditions.