Dictionary Yandex.Lingvo

Women in the United States

	Women in the US History Access other liks to know more about famous women in the United States. The Constitution: The 19th Amendment. Women's Suffrage. A World Chronology of the Recognition of Women's Rights to Vote and to Stand for Election. The Equal Pay Act of 1963. U.S. Society > Women. "Time Honors 3 Women." By Jerilyn Watson, VOA Special English. "National Women's Hall of Fame." By VOA Special English. Gwendolyn Brooks. She was the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize for Literature. Edith Wharton, 1862-1937. She wrote novels of the young and innocent in a dishonest world. Emily Dickinson, 1830-1886. A nineteenth century poet. Ayn Rand, 1905-1982. Americans still debate her books and ideas. Rachel Carson, 1907-1964. Her books helped launch the environmental protection movement in the US. Dorothy West, 1907-1998. The last writer of the Harlem Renaissance. Julia Ward Howe, 1819-1910. The anti-slavery activist who wrote one of the great civil war songs. Margaret Sanger, 1883-1966. She led the fight for birth control for women. Mary Lyon, 1797-1849. She was a leader in women's education in the nineteenth century. Lady Bird Johnson, 1912-2007. The former first lady was an environmental activist who made america more beautiful. Rosa Parks. Mother of the American civil rights movement. Susan B. Anthony, 1820-1906. She fought for U.S. women's right to vote. Dian Fossey, 1932-1985. She worked to protect the mountain gorillas of central africa. Margaret Mead. One of the most influential social scientists of the last century. Nellie Bly, 1864-1922. A newspaper reporter. Clare Booth Luce, 1903-1987. News reporter, magazine editor, member of Congress and ambassador. Ida Tarbell, 1857-1944. Being a reporter she unveiled illegal methods by Standard Oil to hurt or destroy smaller oil companies. Katharine Graham, 1917-2001. A powerful media leader. Ella Fitzgerald, 1917-1996. She was America's first lady of song. Bille Holiday, 1915-1959. She was one of the greatest jazz singers in America. Maria Callas, 1923-1977. One of the most famous opera singers of the 20th century. Patsy Cline, 1932-1963. A country music star. Janis Joplin, 1943-1970. One of the most famous voices in american rock music. Madam C.J. Walker, 1867-1919. She was a businesswoman, the first female African American to become very rich. Mary Kay Ash, 1918-2001. One of the most successful American businesswomen. Marilyn Monroe, 1926-1962. A movie star. Katharine Hepburn, 1907-2003. An independent, intelligent actress. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, 1926-2004. The doctor who gave a voice to the dying. Eleanor Creesy. She helped to guide one of the fastest sailing ships ever built. Annie Leibovitz. A photographer. Georgia O'Keefe, 1887-1986. One of the greatest painters of the twentieth century. Elizabeth Blackwell, 1821-1910. Against strong opposition, she became the first western woman in modern times to become a doctor. Amelia Earhart, 1897-1937. First woman to fly alone across the Atlantic. Nina Simone, 1933-2003. Singer and civil rights activist. Susan Sontag. One of America�s most influential 20th-century thinkers. Harriet Tubman. An African American woman who fought slavery and oppression. Helen Keller, Part 1. She helped millions of people who, like her, were blind and deaf. Helen Keller, Part 2. Bessie Coleman Was the First African-American Female Pilot. Eleanor Roosevelt Was the Most Influential Wife of Any American President. Women Spies.

The Subject Sampler on Women in the United States

Introduction

ussian women got the right to vote after the October Revolution in 1917. Long struggle for the same voting right by American women, the suffragettes, led to the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution in 1920. In 1963 the Equal Pay Act was enacted that prohibited unequal payment discriminations against women at the workplace.

Though the equal rights officially remain intact, women can still feel a so-called "glass ceiling." It is "the imaginary barrier that stops women, or other groups, from getting the best jobs in a company, etc. although there are no official rules to prevent them from getting these jobs." The definition is from Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

It can be speculated that this "glass ceiling" prevented Senator Hillary Clinton, a Democratic nominee, to be picked as a candidate for the presidential campaign. Barack Obama turned out to be a better choice. Does it mean that the nation is ready for an African-American president but not a woman?

Despite the challenges there are women who are successful enough. At least five women are well known not only within the country but far overseas. They are Madlen Olbright, Nancy Pelosy, Condoleezza Rice, Hillary Clinton, and Sarah Palin. All of them are politicians. But there are other areas where women are successful too.

Task

You are expected to make a personal commitment to what you like, believe, or feel about a topic. You are to complete the activity by yourself.

Process and Resources

Please, feel free to use one of the online dictionaries or one at hand.

The following WWW links represent some of the roles that women have in the modern USA and a controversial viewpoint on equal pay.

1. PERSONAL COMMITMENT. Choose one topic below [if none is assigned to you] and follow the instructions to complete the task.

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   Instructions
   - Choose a topic: Military, Politics, Business/Education, or Equal Pay.
   - Read through your articles.
   - Make a note of the most interesting/important 3-5 points made in the articles.
   - Describe in writing what your beliefs are concerning those points.

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   1. Military:
      • "Women in the Military." By VOA Special English.
      • "A Soldier's Life: Women in the U.S. Military." By Jerilyn Watson, VOA Special English.
      • "Role of Women in US Military Gets Renewed Debate." By Al Pessin, VOA Special English.
   2. Politics:
      • "More Women Become National Leaders; When Will the U.S. Follow?" By Nancy Steinbach, VOA Special English.
      • "Women in Congress." By Jerilyn Watson, VOA Special English.
      • "The First Black Woman Elected to the U.S. Congress." By Lawan Davis, VOA Special English.
        • "First Black US Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm Dies at 80."
   3. Business/Education:
      • "Indra Nooyi to Lead PepsiCo." by Jill Moss, VOA Special English.
      • "Hewlett-Packard Ousts 'Most Powerful Woman in Business'." By Mario Ritter, VOA Special English.
      • "Harvard Gets a Female President; Progress Slows at Other Colleges." By Brianna Blake, VOA Special English.
   4. Equal Pay:
      • "McCain Opposes Equal Pay Law." By Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post.
      • "Does John McCain Support Equal Pay for Women?" By Lahle Wolfe, About.com.
      • "McCain On Equal Pay For Women." Youtube video.
      • "It's Time for Working Women to Earn Equal Pay."
      • "The Equal Pay Act of 1963."

Conclusion

omen in the modern United States are ambitious and pursue careers only imagined by the suffragettes. Women are in politics, business, military ... Opponents of such emancipation see these opportunities be a two-edged sword: more women choose careers over family.

News Feeds

Here are the news feeds provided by some of the US mass media. You can use these resources for a five minute news warm-up at the beginning of our class. Click the headline to open the whole article in a new window.