My body of research includes a technical investigation of factual data about gendered norms throughout history, and an empirical study of the lived experiences of women who have operated under these norms. My technical investigation questions the tangible roles women have played throughout history. I evaluate the discursive nature of gender roles by researching Census Bureau data and scholarly articles about gendered participation in the labor force and evolving familial structures. While this data demonstrates significant evolution of gender roles in the family and an increase in the number of women in jobs, academic spaces, and leadership positions, these spaces remain unequal for men and women. In the early 20th century, less than 20% of all women held positions that the Census Bureau qualified as “labor force participation outside of the home” (Yellen, p. 2). Of the few women in the workforce, many would leave their careers upon getting married to abide by the gendered cultural norm of married women becoming mothers and homemakers (Yellen, p. 3). The quality of jobs held by this small percentage of women reflected their lack of access to education during this time. Of the 2% of 18-24-year-olds enrolled in college-level institutions, one-third of this group were women (Yellen, p. 3). Over time, women were granted more autonomy as independent individuals capable of successful careers beyond homemaking (Hayghe, 16). Female participation in the labor force increased from 26% of all women in 1940 to 74% of all women in 1990, but has since plateaued, and has never reached the rate of male participation (Yellen, p. 6-11). In terms of familial structure, the last century has demonstrated a decrease in the role of women as stay-at-home mothers (Hayghe, p. 16). American women are choosing to bear fewer children, and are more likely to give birth later in their lives (Wetzel, 4). Since 1972, the United States fertility rate has been below the replacement level (Wetzel, 4). This data all points toward the reality that as time has gone on, women in previous generations slowly began to have more agency in spheres outside of their home. This being said, however, what these statistical figures lack is the thoughts and emotions of the women the data concerns. How much restriction did the women represented in this data feel in response to the gendered cultural norms of their time? To gain more insight into the narrative behind these facts, I interviewed a group of women 20 and older whom I have met throughout my life about their experience being 20 years old. When collecting these oral narratives, my methodology was to prioritize a sampling of perspectives from women who represent a diverse range of ages and backgrounds. I requested that each of my 8 interviewees answer a few guiding questions about their thoughts, experiences, and emotions being 20, and record their responses in the form of an audio file. The responses of my participants vary in length and topic, but upon listening to them, I found that several of the narratives detail shared experiences surrounding gendered struggles. My oldest interviewee, Grayson Cecil (86), who turned 20 in the 1950s, expressed that after getting a degree in economics, she struggled to find a job because of her gender. She also shared that later in her life after returning to school to pursue a second degree, the women in her community accused her of “abandoning her children.” She felt limited by the gendered cultural norms expected of her regarding her education and career choices during her 20s. Another interviewee, Nicole Nasi (25), who turned 20 in 2017, shared that when she was 20, she feared leaving college without having met the man she would marry. Though these two women were 20 in very different periods, they both felt pressure and discomfort due to the gendered cultural norms associated with being a young woman. In several of the recordings, the women I interviewed introduced observations about new gendered cultural norms brought by modern technology that are unique to the young women of today. These observations demonstrate how this ethical issue still asserts itself today and can be exacerbated by modern institutions such as social media. In interviewing these individuals, I am not aiming to form conclusions about the trials of all 20-year-old women throughout history, but rather to preserve, honor, and learn from the thoughts and emotions behind their lived experiences. These histories provide personal context about the limiting nature of gendered cultural norms in women’s lives.