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The Freedom to Think

© Gail Giordano

"It is our belief that if people are set free to express themselves to the fullest, their accomplishments will be far beyond their dreams, and they will not only contribute to the growth of the company, but will also be more useful citizens and contribute to the society at large. -- Wilton M. Blount "

It started in the Enlightenment period in Europe when changes were occurring to give those of lower class and poverty levels say in politics, government, and in a way of life. The time frame was the seventeen hundreds, lets fast forward about two hundred years to the year 1920, the place is the United States of America, and the cause, woman's suffrage. Woman's suffrage is defined simply as the right of women by law to vote in national and local elections. The Feminist Movement encompasses woman's suffrage as well as much more. The definition on the feminist movement took me aback a little because it simply a social movement, the goal of which is to seek equal rights for women by giving them equal status with men and the freedom to decide their own career and life patterns. When the right to vote was granted to women, the women of the day did not pursue a change in the way women were looked at, the stereotype or the job role, they simply went after and received the right to vote. It was during World War II when the men were being shipped off to war and a shortage of workers was created that women truly began to enter the workforce here within the United States. This opening of a door provided the way for change here within and abroad.

Literature was a prominent way to distribute the ideas of those feminist leaders of the day. During the Enlightenment Period a book was written by Mary Wollstonecraft titled A Vindication of the Rights of Women. This piece served as a challenge to women that they did not exist to only please men but that they should receive the same opportunity as men in education, works and politics. When I read the description of this book I thought it had to have been written in the 20th Century, shocking to read it was written in 1792.

There were other factors during the 20th century, which helped spur the movement forward; one was the economic condition. Women were having less children, their household chores changed because of the household appliances for their disposal. Even more I think was the release of two pieces of literature that are still in print today and widely known and studied. The first one was written in 1949 by a French Author by the name of Simone de Beauvoir. The name of her book is Le Deuxieme Sexe, translated The Second Sex. In the book Simone raises a variety of issues. It helped raise feminist consciousness and suggests that by liberating women we are also liberating the man as well. Another interesting fact about this book is that the book addresses issues and ideas before they really became known as a part of the feminist movement.