In the early 1900s, women did not enjoy any social, economic or political equality. It wasn't until the war broke out that women stepped up and started taking care of things. Although there have been some changes, many of them did not come into effect until the 1940s and 1950s. However, women today are achieving much more equality thanks to the efforts of older generations. old and current. Tillie Olsen does a spectacular job depicting both the past and present lives of women in her story, I Stand Here Ironing. She does this by playing a stereotypical female character, discussing the struggles of motherhood, and demonstrating the journey women have taken using one of the story's main characters, Emily. First comes the portrait of the narrator of the story, who the reader knows is Emily's mother. Her husband leaves her during the Great Depression as if she were nothing more than an object. Between 1921 and 1940, women had virtually no equality in society. They had a very stereotypical lifestyle and were considered “the property of men” who “had to take care of the house and the children” (Gender Roles, 1). The mother is seen as a fragile person who struggles to cope with the pressures of single parenthood. Additionally, society at that time had barriers to equality, which meant that she would be mistreated and paid differently from men, making her life more difficult (Societal Roles, 1). Since men were paid more than women for the same work, women had to work much harder until around 1950, when major changes began in society (Societal Roles, 1). Often society frowned upon this at the time because women were expected to stay at home (Burks, 1). Additionally, the mother's relationship with her daughter was unstable and difficult. This contradicts the po...... middle of paper ......nda. “Why are teenagers so embarrassed.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, July 9, 2013. Web. March 20, 2014. “Gender Roles in the 1930s.” Gender Roles in the 1930s. Google and Web. March 20, 2014. .Smokler, Jill. “Scary Mommy: An honest look at motherhood.” Scary Mommy An honest look at motherhood. Scary Mom, sd Web. March 20, 2014. “Societal roles and expectations in the 1940s-1950s. »: Role of women in the 1940s. Np, and Web. March 20, 2014. “What year did welfare start? » -Ask.com. Ask, June 12, 2011. Web. March 20. 2014. .