In the early 1900s, women had no 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 were some changes, many of them did not take effect until the 1940s and 1950s. Modern women, however, are achieving greater equality for themselves thanks to the efforts of previous and current generations. Tillie Olsen does a spectacular job describing both the past and present lives of the women in her story, I Stand Here Ironing. She does this by playing a character who is a stereotypical woman, discussing the difficulties of motherhood, and demonstrating how far women have come by using one of the main characters in the story, Emily. First comes the portrait of the story's narrator, who the reader knows is Emily's mother. Her husband leaves her during the Great Depression as if she were a mere object. Women in the period 1921-1940 had virtually no equality in society. They had a very stereotyped lifestyle and were seen as “the property of men” who “had to take care of the house and children” (Gender Roles, 1). The mother is seen as a fragile person struggling to keep up with the pressures of being a single parent. Additionally, society during this time had barriers to equality, which meant she would be mistreated and paid differently than men, making her life more difficult (Social Roles, 1). Because males were paid more than females for the same work, women had to work much harder until about 1950, when major changes began in society (Social Roles, 1). Often, society frowned upon this because women were expected to stay at home (Burks, 1). Furthermore, the mother's relationship with her daughter was unstable and difficult. This contradicts the po...... middle of paper......nda. “Why Teens Are So Self-Aware.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, July 9, 2013. Web. March 20, 2014. “Gender Roles of the 1930s.” Gender roles of the 1930s. Google and the Web. March 20, 2014. .Smokler, Jill. “Scary Mom: An Honest Look at Motherhood.” Scary Mommy An honest look at motherhood. Scary Mom and Web. March 20, 2014. "Societal Roles and Expectations in the 1940s and 1950s." : The role of women in the 1940s. Np, nd Web. March 20, 2014. “What Year Did Welfare Start?” - Ask.com. Ask, June 12, 2011. Web. March 20. 2014. .