The role and status of women in our society has changed very much over the last 150 years, mostly because of the women's movement. However, there is still unfair treatment of women. Before, women had very few legal rights and most societies placed women in an inferior position compared to that of men, and some still do.
Women's economic rights used to depend greatly on whether they were married or not. If a woman was married, she was to be obedient to her husband. The husband provided the income and shelter for his wife and family. The woman was considered a prize of sorts, more like a trophy, not a person. Once they married, the woman could not keep control over any property she had before the marriage. The wife's livelihood, property and legal existence merged into that of her husbands. It was no longer hers; her husband controlled it all. Also, women could not enter into a contract without her husband's signed say-so, nor could they have a credit card, open a bank account or deal with any of the financial part of the marriage. Like I said before, the man controlled everything, because the woman was thought to be too ignorant to handle it. Marriage was therefore socially and economically important to a woman, they would not be able to live a decent life without a man. Eventually through new laws being passed, married women gained considerable rights in relation to property and separate income. .
Also, in the job market, women's salaries have been kept lower than men's, particularly from the lingering idea, that some still believe, that women are inferior. A woman was considered to be a wife and mother, that's it. Today women, on average, still earn less than their male counterparts. Women working full-time only earn about 85 percent of the income that the average male makes in the same position. Even in industries dominated by women, men often hold a higher number of promotional positions.
