Modern women have acquired greater freedom of choice and today they can choose to play one or more roles in society.
Since the earliest civilizations, men and women, in general, have played different roles in society. In many of these moments, there was a vision of the role of women in a position of subordination in relation to men. History is also permeated by the resistance and protagonism of many women who rebelled against stereotypes and the imposition of less important social roles. Historically, these roles have been related to a reductionist view of the female universe, closely related to the role of submission, servitude and absence of protagonism.
Currently, this view is not completely overcome, however, the gradual social deconstruction of negative and reductionist stereotypes of the role of women in society is visible . The figure of the woman solely in the role of submission, who had the exclusive function of being a servant wife, caregiving mother and exemplary housewife, was being overcome.
Contemporary women accumulate victories such as their insertion in the labor market , the expansion of their sexual and reproductive freedom , the achievement of financial independence and political rights .
The collection of advances brought by female emancipation did not come alone. With this evolution, there are also some new obstacles for women today, such as:
- The difficulty of reconciling family and professional life activities;
Don’t stop now … There’s more after the publicity;)
- Need to prioritize professional activity over personal life;
- Difficulty in playing so many roles with excellence (mother, professional, wife, housewife and others);
- Need to incorporate masculine attitudes and characteristics (objectivity, rational coldness and tough decisions) to be valued in the professional sphere.
Despite having old and new obstacles to be overcome, women today have an expansion of their freedom of choice. She can choose to exercise the great multiplicity of roles assigned to her or choose to prioritize her professional life. In the same vein, the modern woman, today, can decide to be an excellent housewife and mother, without this prejudicing her in her valorization as a woman.
The great achievement of today’s woman is the power of choice . Deciding when is the best time to have children and how many descendants you want to have or simply choose not to have children is, today, a right that many women have achieved. This right is the result of an increasingly collective awareness that the social roles historically related to the female universe can be reassessed and, if it is the woman’s will, overcome them.
