“Herstory” by Jan Morris
Message Prompt

In the past, women have been viewed as weaker than men, and as the inferior gender. They were not given nearly as many rights as men, and were only expected in life to care for the family – nothing else. Eventually, however, women began to gain more rights. They began to partake in activities that only men used to participate in, and they became physically and emotionally stronger. Today, women can do just about anything men can do. And often, they can do it better.

Jan Morris states in her essay, “the old immovable opposites of Male and Female may be converging after all.” It is clear within the essay that Morris believes women are becoming more like men. She mentions that fifty years ago, no one expected women to be playing soccer, let along boxing. No one believed that men would end up splitting the household chores with women. Fifty years ago, there were set roles for women and men. A woman was too weak to play sports, and therefore could only look after the household. Yet now that fifty years has past, women are playing sports. Not only are they playing, but they are finding enormous success. The Williams sisters, Mia Hamm, Lisa Leslie. All of them have made a living out of playing their favorite sport. Females are now just as strong as men. Women have also managed to become political figures. Hilary Clinton may become the first female president. All in all, females are much more capable. They are becoming more like men, as men are becoming more like women. Hopefully, one day it will not be considered so strange for a woman to be president. After all, over time, she has become completely capable.