From horse and buggy to car, outhouses to indoor toilets, storing food in the snow to refrigeration, and quill pens to computers, societies have slowly evolved and along with them, so have the roles of women. Prior to the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century education for women was mainly afforded to women of the upper classes. Today, however, opportunities for education and the advancement of women are nearly equal to those of men. Women today are able to succeed because of the right to education and freedoms they inherited from their foremothers. Many women today take these freedoms for granted, but if not for the constant struggle of women before them, they would not be available.
It is important to remember that the role of women evolved along with society. As the ideals of society changed, so did the roles of women and vice-versa. Education, however, was a key factor in the woman's escape from oppression and the opportunity to employ their skills in impacting society.