Breana Vazquez

7th Period
Gender Issues
Do you think a book written in the 21st century could get away with not having more of
a female presence? The book Andromeda Strain didnt include any female scientist why is that?
There has been gender issues including emphasis on science, mathematics, military and
government. In World War II, a total of 350,000 women served in the U.S. military. More than
60,000 women served as Army nurses and over 14,000 served as Navy nurses. For the most part,
men didnt want women to vote, usually for a number of reasons. They feared a loss of the
control of women. They didnt want women to vote as a block, a very logical fear as women
represent 51% of the population. Some men and some women as well didnt believe women
were capable of understanding all the consequences of situations they would be voting on.
Finally, some people saw that allowing women to vote and have a voice in governmental
decision making tough part of their traditional way of identifying themselves, they literally
conceived of men as the opposites of women and women as the opposites of men. By the early
20th Century suffrage was again an issue, as women began participating more in public life.
Still, everything that was important, in terms of power and prestige, was under male control:
politics, economy, etc. Throughout decades women have been not treated completely equal. The
19th amendment was eventually passed in 1920. At this point, after women voted in their first
federal election in 1922, many women believed that they were the political equals of men, and
the target of their activism shifts, and women begin to pursue more personal freedoms. Women
begin engaging publicly in male activities. They begin to drink publicly, which was also an
illegal activity.

Breana Vazquez
7th Period
Gender Issues
http://www.infoplease.com/us/military/women-history.html
http://www2.ivcc.edu/gen2002/twentieth_century.htm