Women's Reform: Then and Now

The mid-nineteenth century society had mixed reactions to women's demands for equality, but they were largely negative. At the Seneca Falls Convention in July of 1848, women's rights reformers released a document entitled "Declaration of Resolutions and Sentiments". This document, written in the style of the Declaration of Independence, outlined the injustices that women endured., as well as resolutions to society issues and misguided judgments. The "Declaration of Resolutions and Sentiments" cause quite a stir when it was published, the media's reaction was varied.
One of the documented reactions to the Seneca Falls convention was published in the Oneida Whig newspaper. The article did not talk about the convention favorably. The writer's reasoning for not extending women's rights and suffrage was that if they were voting and spending time out of the house, there would be no dinner made. "If our ladies will insist on voting and legislating, where, gentlemen, will be our dinners and our elbows?" This quote illustrates the 19th century view that women belonged in the kitchen, and the writer feared change. The writer of this article was presumably a male, and could not fathom a world where women leave the house and let men fend for themselves. From the perspective of an editorial in the Oneida Whig, the Seneca Falls convention was foolish.
However, not all media reactions were negative. The reaction to Seneca Falls in The National Reformer was generally positive and supporting of women's rights. A quote illustrating this is "There is no means so power for the elevation of any class, as the elective franchise". This is saying that in order to make a certain class of people more important and respected, they must be given the right to vote, and this one of the things that the Seneca Falls convention addressed. Unfortunately, women's suffrage was not achieved for nearly seventy five years.
While women's rights have greatly increased since the mid 19th century, there are still major disadvantages to being a women, and society reacts differently to men and women. As a male, for the most part, I am not affected by societies different reactions to men and women. However, I am acquainted with the female population, and understand that in today's society, they are often seen as the lesser gender.  One of the most obvious examples is the wage gap. In most studies and practical applications, it is noted that women are being paid less than men for the same work. Furthermore, women have a significantly smaller role in politics than men. Jobs, hobbies, and emotions are still defined as being "manly" or "womanly", and this shows that society reacts differently to men and women in the 21st century.