Over many centuries, women have been weakened and ridiculed by the realities of a bitter society. A woman's sex generally predetermines the uneventful course she is expected to follow throughout her life. Promising opportunities were rare, and for centuries women were confined to the home with little more than puppet roles to play. Common household chores were part of the daily agenda and an unwavering devotion to her husband was expected (Cruea). The initiative spearheaded by the National Woman Suffrage Association has provided a source of encouragement for women seeking impartial justice in key aspects of daily life. The women's rights movement, despite a long and bumpy road, has essentially led from bigotry to equality. The role of the average American woman in society was not at all influential before the women's movement. In the circumstances of the early 1800s, women had many obligations but had far fewer choices. A woman's main purpose was to find a husband, have children, and serve him for the rest of her life. She worked at home cooking, cleaning and taking care of the children. Girls learned from their mothers the steps to take care of their home at an early age (Schneider). Women were controlled by all the men in their lives, including fathers, brothers, husbands, and other male relatives. Marriage was almost always a lifelong commitment. A husband had rights to a woman's inheritance and possessions. He essentially owned his wife; she couldn't get a divorce or escape an unhappy marriage. Single women were generally ridiculed and pitied by their communities (Novkov). There were three different classes for women, each with differences in everyday life, family and...... middle of paper ......ns. They fought for their freedoms despite the rain of negativity and insults hurled at them while promoting the cause. Women's rights advocates have changed the views of many Americans. Women have become bigger than a puppet in the house. They held jobs that required masculine qualities and struggled to gain the rights they rightfully deserved in the field of work. They fought for their freedom to vote, to get a divorce, for the freedom to create choices and brilliant opportunities for themselves (Shah). They didn't try to stop until they achieved what they set out to do, and for women in our modern day, the significance is unparalleled. The women of the early 1800s paved the way for a balanced society with equality between men and women, thus drastically changing the way life could have been if someone hadn't stepped up to defend women.