Susan Glasspell's A Jury Of Her Peers

In the early 1900s, in the eyes of many, women were considered unequal to men. Many men did not believe women deserved to have power or rights. Many men believed that they were the superior gender and even considered women as unintelligent. In Susan Glasspell’s story, “A Jury of Her Peers,” the author shows the audience just how unfairly women were treated during this time period in history. Glasspell, however, does an incredible job at using this story to portray that women are just as capable at doing anything a man can do, and maybe even better sometimes. In this story Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are put down multiple times by the male characters. Sexist remarks about “the jobs of a woman” are made right in front of their faces. They are …show more content…
Wright lacking as a housekeeper because of a dirty towel, inferring that she was not even successful at what a woman was supposed to be good at. Mrs. Hale quickly jumps to Mrs. Wright’s defense, defending her not as a friend but as a woman, a peer. At this time in history if women did not defend each other, they were not defended. In “A Jury of Her Peers,” the wives even go as far as teaming up against their husbands in order to protect another woman. Women had “no independence, no access to education, no property rights, no opportunities for gainful employment in ‘men' s’ fields, no birth control, and no relief from ‘women's work’” (Silverman par 1). In “The Congressional Digest” of March, 1924, it was written that “In New Mexico and Nevada, all property acquired after marriage by the industry of the husband or wife is their common property and when the husband dies he may leave his half to whomever he pleases, but on the other hand, unless a wife outlives her husband, it is a general rule that she can not leave a dollar of her half to any one, not even to her own children” (Matthews). Mathews goes on to write about the unequal pay of male and female school teachers, the disadvantages women face when fighting for positions against men, and the unfair divorce laws causing women to be stuck in unhealthy marriages while the husband can technically call for divorce at any time he pleases. Towards the middle of the nineteenth century, a group of women came together and …show more content…
Women now have the right to vote because of the nineteenth amendment. Women can now serve in the military if they wish to do so. Segregation because of sex is no longer legal. These are just a few of the rights women have won since the beginning of the nineteenth century. Studies have even shown impressive growth rates in education among women. “Since the 1980s, more women than men have been graduating from college in America. According to data from 2012, the percentage of women who enrolled in college after high school rose to 71%, while the percentage of men remained stagnant at 61%” (Andersen par 5). However, today sexism still exists in some areas. Although it is not legal, some employers when looking to hire someone may choose a male applicant over a female applicant based solely on gender. Some jobs today may even offer a higher salary to a man than what would be offered to a woman. Sadly, these are not the only struggles women face today because of the ways women equality was viewed in the past. Ericka Andersen quotes a part of Michelle Obama’s speech given at the Global Education First Initiative event, "We still struggle with violence against women and harmful cultural norms that tell women how they are expected to look and act" (Andersen par 2). Many women today find themselves battling in an abusive relationship. Most of these women have come to believe