Gina Lagrotteria
February 13, 2015
Blog Post #3
Women Fighting Back
Women
have come along way since the 1970’s. They have more rights whether if it’s in
the work force, music industry, and the media or just in society.
This
week I did a presentation on music of the 1970’s. One of the things that I
learned was how this was really the first time that women started producing
music because prior to that people would not sign them based on the single fact
that they were a women. The companies that they signed with were weary of
signing them because they did not know if women’s records were going to sell
and they did not want to loose money by signing them. Some of the famous
singers that I studied that came out in the 1970’s were Dolly Parton, Diana
Ross, Cher and Helen Reddy. They were each unique individuals but they all had
a common interest in the feminist movement. All of them wrote songs that
related to the women and showing there power and standing up against society in
the fight for equality.
Women
were not seen as equal in the work force in the 1970’s. “ In 1970, women earned
58% of what men did, and forty-three states limited the number of hours women
could work, generally to eight a day, meaning overtime and other job
opportunities were forbidden to them. (196). I think that is something that is
completely unfair. Women work just as hard as men do and their only getting 58%
of what men do for the same job. I think that is not okay at all and I’m glad
now a days that women are making a higher percentage. It is still not as high
as it should be but right now the percentage is 76.5%. I am also glad, that women do not have
restrictions on the amount of hours they can work and have the opportunity to
do overtime and other job opportunities.
Women
are also seen better in society than they were before. The images of women in
the media have improved. They are now starting to add models in there advertisements
that have some meat on their bones. Before they had women that had little to no
meat on their bones. When you see women in pop culture, looking skinny and having
the image of “perfect”, it makes you
want to look like them and have self esteem issues.
I thought the presentation was interesting I didn't know that women had struggled to get into the business due to the fear that they were women and people didn't know if they would sell songs, it's good that these women have since been able to prove those who doubted them wrong. I also thought it was awesome that they went into this career and wrote empowering songs for women across the globe and these singles were becoming hits which became intimidating for those who believed women didn't deserve rights. Music has been a way for women to express their messages and because these songs are played everywhere and became so big people didn't have a choice but to listen to the music. It still continues today we hear empowering songs and are still made to feel we are good enough and we are powerful.
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