ABSTRACT
If you had lived in 1900 nearly every aspect of your days would be shaped by gender, though the details of what that meant varied greatly from place to place. If you were a white woman living in an American city, for example, you might have a job for a few years before you married, but afterwards you were expected to stay home and raise children. If you were an American man you were expected to spend most of your waking hours working to support your family. Around the world, men had nearly all official authority: women were excluded from nearly all political and corporate positions, only men could vote in almost all elections, and most religious communities did not ordain women or allow them to speak during a worship service. Wives everywhere were expected to obey their husbands. People everywhere worked and socialized primarily with others of their own gender. Most colleges did not admit women, and those that did often segregated them in the classroom. In short, gender differences were strong and obvious, and most people took gender inequality for granted.
