Marriage as a social institution can be considered as a chief force of woman’s oppression in patriarchy as dramatized in selected plays by four American female playwrights in the first half of the twentieth century. In an evolving American society women were able to participate actively in various spheres of life beyond the usual domestic terrains. Their fight for several rights, including voting, was also successful by the second decade of the last century. Nevertheless, the patriarchal society still determined in many spheres of life, primarily in families and marriages, what part women shall or shall not play. The oppression of men was evident through direct pressure, or through tradition and customs.