Gender Equality Stalled By Stephanie Coontz Summary

In the articles “Why Gender Equality Stalled,” “Women’s Rights In Colombia,” and “Famous Firsts in Women’s History,” all of the authors discuss topics involving women’s rights. Within these articles their topics vary from traditional gender roles, violent acts of crime towards women, as well how gender equality has either changed or stayed consistent over time. Women in the United States have made a substantial amount of progress regarding obtaining women’s rights and gender equality, whether it be the right to vote or become employed and provide for their families, the roles of women have both changed significantly and maintained consistency throughout the years. Though the United States has shown progress other parts of the world still struggle in obtaining gender equality.
Within the article, “Why Gender Equality Stalled” from the New York Times, the author Stephanie Coontz, seeks to demonstrate why the revolution for gender equality has stalled within the United States. Coontz begins by providing information regarding past and present working preferences between men and women. In 1977, studies showed the majority of Americans believed the role of men was to provide for their …show more content…
These structural impediments include lack of maternity leave, long work hours, and a gender-wage gap. She argues women are paid less then men, and are also less likely to obtain jobs that provide the adjustability and flexibility families need (4). Due to this, men and women are unable to sufficiently divide work, household, and childcare duties. It’s not that men and women do not want to, they are unable to. Women are forced to leave their jobs, while their husbands continue to provide for their family. Additionally, Coontz believes work family policies should be indentified as human rights issues and not women’s rights issues because everyone within the family is effected, not just women