As I write this essay, in approximately one week, I will be moved into my college dorm and ready to start my first classes in a new state away from the comfort of my parents, my home, and the place I grew up. As a first-generation college student, this whole experience feels somewhat scary, but also exciting. This feeling has made me realize how lucky I am, as a woman, to have the opportunity to leave my home to pursue my dreams. Women in previous generations, like my mother, did not get this same opportunity.

At nineteen years old, my mother dreamed of moving from Genova, Italy, where she was born and raised, to Milan to study drawing at an art school. But her dreams were shut down by her parents who believed she, as a woman, lacked the strength and experience to move to a new city on her own and confront the numerous challenges that awaited her. So, she stayed home. She did not attend college, did not study drawing, and went straight to work in the food service industry after finishing high school.

The pursuit of one’s dreams requires a balance between personal ambition and societal expectations. For my mother, this balance was tipped by the weight of gender norms and family values that constrained her from pursuing the career she truly desired. Her experience is not unique. In fact, it echoes the ongoing challenges women face today in numerous fields. From STEM-related jobs to politics and even the creative arts, limited opportunities for women still exist. According to the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, women make up only 35% of the STEM field, while men dominate the remaining 65%. It is clear that despite significant progress made over the past century, the barriers that limited my mother’s opportunities continue to resonate in today’s debates about gender equity in professional spaces traditionally dominated by men.

While thinking about my mother’s experience compared to my own, this summer I had the opportunity to read two books that address the topic of gender inequality. The first book, Nella Larsen’s Quicksand, published in 1928, delves into the internal and external struggles of Helga Crane, a biracial woman navigating a society that imposes rigid boundaries on her identity and aspirations. Larsen’s portrayal of Helga’s battle against societal constraints highlights the intersectionality of race and gender, issues that continue to resound in contemporary discussions about the challenges faced by women of color in various professional fields. Similarly, the second book I read, Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own, written in 1929, examines the systemic barriers preventing women from achieving literary success. Woolf argues that financial independence and personal space are essential for women to create and thrive.

Together, these works offer a lens through which we can better understand the ongoing struggle for women’s rights and opportunities in today’s society. Though published within a year of each other, the different cultural backgrounds of the authors–Nella Larsen was a part of the Harlem Renaissance, while Virginia Woolf was a white Londoner–mean that they present different perspectives on the barriers to women’s full participation in society. At the same time, both books are highly autobiographical, and both authors connect on the idea that women’s oppression is multifaceted, and that true independence requires overcoming both societal and internalized limitations. Together, their works underscore the importance of considering the various intersecting factors that contribute to women’s experiences of oppression.

The titles of both Quicksand and A Room of One’s Own are deeply symbolic, reflecting the core themes of each work. In Quicksand, the title metaphorically represents Helga Crane’s sinking feeling of being trapped by societal expectations, racial identity, and gender roles, from which she struggles to escape. It highlights the suffocating effects of a society that restricts a woman’s independence and self-expression–all the more so for a biracial woman.

 The title of A Room of One’s Own emphasizes Virginia Woolf’s argument that women need both literal and figurative space, financial independence, and intellectual freedom, to write and succeed creatively. As Woolf says, “A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction” (5).  The “room,” though in one sense literal, also symbolizes the broader necessity of economic independence for women to fully realize their potential.

In the nearly 100 years that have passed since Larsen and Woolf wrote their books, there have been significant improvements in women’s access to education and employment, reflecting a broader societal shift toward gender equality. Today, women are increasingly represented in higher education, professional fields, and leadership positions, as shown by recent data. According to AAUW, women have actually outnumbered men in earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees for several decades now, earning almost 60% of undergraduate degrees and 60% of all master’s degrees, and we now represent nearly half of the U.S. labor force. But while we participate in the labor force at rates equal to or greater than men, challenges remain in reaching the highest leadership positions and closing the gender pay gap. Even now, in 2024, women earn an average of 26% less than men across all job industries. In 1963, a woman made 59 cents for each dollar earned by a man. In 2010 that number increased to 77 cents per dollar (FORBES). Although there has been improvement since the times of Woolf and Larsen, the journey toward professional equality is ongoing. The progress made today reminds us of the need to ensure that women have both the resources and the freedom to pursue their goals without compromise.

Despite the progress made in education and the workforce, women continue to face significant limitations compared to men. We are still underrepresented in leadership roles across various industries, due to persistent gender biases and stereotypes. For example, even though women make up almost half of the U.S. labor force and earn degrees at higher rates than men, they are far less likely to hold positions of higher authority. In the U.S. House of Representatives, only 19.3% are women, and out of 50 state governors in the U.S., only 12 are women (Warner).

These limitations are not just numerical but are also embedded in expectations and norms that continue to favor men. The qualities traditionally associated with leadership are often viewed negatively when shown by women, leading to biases that hinder women’s progression to top roles. For example, during her 2016 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton was frequently criticized for being “too ambitious,” a quality that is often seen as a strength in male leaders. Her assertiveness and decisiveness, qualities essential for leadership, were sometimes perceived as “overly aggressive” or “unfeminine” (SageJournals). These perceptions played a role in shaping public opinion and media coverage, contributing to the double standard she faced compared to male candidates. As we head into the 2024 election with a woman at the top of the ticket for only the second time in our history, we must be vigilant of these biases. We shouldn’t vote for somebody just because she’s a woman–but we also shouldn’t not vote for a candidate just because she’s a woman.

Though critically important, jobs and education are not the only battles women have been fighting for centuries. Another issue we have long grappled with is the fixation on our appearance, a challenge that was as relevant in the time periods depicted in Quicksand and A Room of One’s Own as it remains today. In the 1920s, women’s appearance was heavily monitored and tied to their societal value. Throughout Quicksand, Helga’s attire acts as a symbol of the expectations imposed on her by society. While teaching at Naxos, a school for Black youth, Helga is encouraged to wear clothes that won’t attract any attention to her: as her dean explains, “Black, gray, brown, and navy blue are the most becoming colors for colored people” (Larsen 51). In contrast, when she lives with her aunt in Denmark, she is dressed in extravagant clothing that emphasizes her difference and turns her into a display. Though she prefers colorful clothing, these outfits are not of her choosing and highlight how she is objectified and exoticized by the people in Denmark–including her own family–rather than being seen as an individual with her own identity. Helga’s clothes and way of dressing are extremely important to her, but it seems as if wherever she goes, she still finds herself being told what to wear.

Similarly, while women today have more freedom over our appearance, we are too often judged based on how well we conform to societal beauty standards. The pressure to wear certain styles or maintain a particular image remains strong. Today, beauty standards for women are heavily shaped by social media. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok often show images of “perfect” skin, bodies, and hair, which can make women feel pressured to look a certain way. This constant focus on appearance tends to surpass our accomplishments and reinforces stereotypes, making it harder for women to feel confident and valued for who we are beyond our looks.

The distinct real-life experiences of Nella Larsen and Virginia Woolf shaped the themes of race, gender, and class in their works. Nella Larsen, a woman of both Black American and Danish heritage, lived in a society that often forced her to navigate the complex intersections of race and gender, much like Helga Crane. Larsen’s own life was marked by the challenges of fitting into both Black and white communities, including overseas, which is reflected in Helga’s constant search for a place where she can truly belong.

In contrast, Virginia Woolf, a white upper-middle-class English woman, was primarily concerned with the limitations placed on women by gender and class. Her experiences gave her firsthand insight into the barriers women faced in the literary and academic worlds. Woolf’s emphasis on the need for financial independence and intellectual freedom in A Room of One’s Own stems from her own struggles within a patriarchal society that undervalued women’s contributions. Unlike Larsen, as a white woman, Woolf had the privilege of not needing to contend with constraints imposed on her because of her race. Instead, she wrote predominently about the constraints imposed on women’s intellectual and creative pursuits by a male-dominated society.

My own mother’s experience of being limited by her parents due to her gender profoundly shaped her outlook on life, particularly how she approached my upbringing. Having faced the frustration of having her dreams crushed simply because she was a woman, she has made it a priority not to impose the same limitations on me. Instead, she continuously encourages me to pursue my ambitions without consideration of the societal or family expectations that once held her back. This shift in perspective reflects the broader progress society has made in recognizing and supporting women’s rights to pursue our dreams. Women, once confined to extremely narrow roles, have broken boundaries and achieved greater representation and recognition in various fields.

The similarities and differences between these two authors writing at the same time, almost a century ago, should remind us of the importance of using an intersectional framework when discussing human rights and progress. Although challenges remain, the progress made over the past ten decades reflects a growing recognition of women’s rights to pursue our dreams, much like the shift in my mother’s own life and beliefs. Her story is a testament to how personal struggles can inspire broader change, underscoring the ongoing need to support and advance gender equality for future generations. As a white woman, I acknowledge that I am one of the people most benefitting from the progress that has been made since Virginia Woolf and Nella Larsen’s era. I hope that over the next century, we will continue breaking boundaries to ensure that all women, regardless of race or cultural background, enjoy the same rights and opportunities to pursue our dreams.

Works Cited

AAUW. “Barriers and Bias: The Status of Women in Leadership.” aauw.org, 2016, https://www.aauw.org/resources/research/barrier-bias/. Accessed August 21st, 2024.

American Council on Education. “New Report Looks at Status of Women in Higher Education.” acenet.edu, January 15, 2016, https://www.acenet.edu/news-room/Pages/New-Report-Looks-at-the-Status-of-Women-in-Higher-Education.aspx.  Accessed August 14th, 2024.

“Charted: Percentage of Women Competing in Olympic Games.” Visual Capitalist, 23 Aug. 2024, www.visualcapitalist.com/charted-percentage-women-competing-olympic-games/. Accessed August 25th, 2024.

Esquivel, Lisa. “Modern Beauty Standards and Their Effects on Society.”Miami High News, March 7, 2022, https://miamihighnews.com/2022/03/07/modern-beauty-standards-and-their-effects-on-society/. Accessed August 17th, 2024.

Larsen, Nella. Quicksand. The Complete Fiction of Nella Larsen, edited by Charles R. Larson, Anchor Books, 2001, pp. 29-162.

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. “The STEM Workforce: 2023” in Diversity and STEM: Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities. Special Report NSF 23-315. Alexandria, VA: National Science Foundation. https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf23315/report/the-stem-workforce#:~:text=Compared%20with%20women%2C%20men%20make,(figure%202%2D3). Accessed August 21st, 2024.

Streicher, Jaime. “Gender Pay Gap Statistics In 2023.” Forbes, 24 Aug. 2023, https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/gender-pay-gap-statistics/#:~:text=Women%20earn%20an%20average%20of,for%20every%20dollar%20men%20earn. Accessed August 25th, 2024.

Warner, Judith and Danielle Corley. “The Women’s Leadership Gap.” Center for American Progress, May 21, 2017, https://www.americanprogress.org/article/womens-leadership-gap/. Accessed August 14, 2024.

Woolf, Virginia, and Susan Gubar. A Room of One’s Own. Edited by Mark Hussey, Mariner Classics, 1989.