If you had told someone 100 years ago that women would have the right to vote, become world-class scholars, serve in the military, or even run for president, you probably would they would have laughed in your face and told you that women are good for one thing and one thing only: to be a wife and mother. Women were meant to be seen and not heard. They had to cook, clean, do laundry, be the perfect wife, and provide for all their husbands' needs. In the story "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid, a mother talks to her daughter about the behaviors of a respectful woman. She warns her daughter that if she behaves inappropriately, she may not receive respect from others in society. While the mother's tone may seem harsh, it is important to consider the social norms of the time in which the story was written, as women were not always seen as equal members of society. Let's jump forward 100 years. Women have been in space and we have a woman running for president. Currently, 14.6% of our military personnel are women. Men have also taken on more roles within the family, such as cooking, cleaning, doing laundry and even caring for children. People would have been baffled if I had told them there was such a thing as being a stay-at-home dad or even a single dad. That said, every family is different. There are many modern families in which both parents work, cook, clean, do laundry and take care of children. Not only does the mother in "Girl" teach her daughter to be a classy woman so she can find a man, but she also teaches her daughter to take care of herself. Even though it is stated very bluntly, he wants to make sure his daughter represents herself with nothing but the utmost respect. She wants to make sure that when her daughter leaves home she looks like a classy woman. Not only is he teaching her how to care for a man, but he's also teaching her how to sew on her own buttons and wash her own clothes - skills that everyone should be able to do on their own, regardless of gender. Her mother taught her all the "tricks" in the world, including how to smile at someone she doesn't like. However, there may be a reason behind the scolding manner of this story.