Answer to Question 1
The 19th-century Industrial Revolution brought about dramatic changes in sex roles. Men, instead of working on a small farm, left the home to work in a factory or other setting to provide economic support. The economic role of women declined because they were no longer performing economically productive tasks. Women's roles became increasingly defined as child rearing and housework. But the amount of time required to perform these functions declined for several reasons. Families had fewer children. With compulsory education, older children went to school. Gradually, labor-saving devices reduced the need for women to perform time-consuming domestic tasks (baking bread, canning vegetables, and washing). As the traditional roles of women began to change, some females started to pursue activities (for example, outside employment) that had traditionally been reserved for men. With these changes, sex roles began to blur.
During World War II, large numbers of women were employed outside the home for the first time, to fill the jobs of men who had been drafted into the military. At that time, more than 38 of all women 16 years of age and over were employed outside the home, causing a further blurring of traditional sex roles.
Answer to Question 2
A