Essay about 19th Century Women

Life for women in the 1800s was one of very few choices, some have compared it to slavery. This essay will be about Marriage and the different classes for women in the early 1800s.

Feminism is a female movement that has been around for a long time and it has evolved through many years. Many women call themselves feminists because women are not treated as equals to men and they would like to change that. Women were treated very unfairly, well up to the late 1900’s and they did not have many rights. Back in those days gender stereotypes were clear, the woman was there to be a housewife and the man made the money. Men also made the decisions in the family and the woman had to obey. I think feminists back then were right to want change, because they were not even close to be equal with men. White women did have it hard in those times, however they did not have it as hard as the black women. For example, “ Black women whose

There was an actual inventory taken of each woman’s home. This candid look into the lives of these women shows us the differences as well as what ties them together. Whether on a farm, the frontier or in town, these women shared the same daily duties. These included the ever important meal preparation, the building and regulating of fires, animal and garden tending, mothering the children and spinning to provide clothing and essentials for their family. This look into their homes showed that no matter if you have two rooms are four, ornamental decorations or punch bowls for entertaining, spinning wheels or none, each woman’s role and duties were just as important as the other. The fact that one woman had little in wealth made little distinction of her from the other two.

In her essay, Woman in the Nineteenth Century, Margaret Fuller discusses the state of marriage in America during the 1800‘s. She is a victim of her own knowledge, and is literally considered ugly because of her wisdom. She feels that if certain stereotypes can be broken down, women can have the respect of men intellectually, physically, and emotionally. She explains why some of the inequalities exist in marriages around her. Fuller feels that once women are accepted as equals, men and women will be able achieve a true love not yet known to the people of the world.

The way European women were treated in the nineteenth century is very different than the way women are treated in the twentieth century today. Women in the nineteenth century were thought more of as objects or something to look at instead of people. Men were always superior to women. It is not the same in the United States during twentieth century as it was in Europe during the nineteenth century. Race and sexuality plays a huge role in the superiority of genders. By the end of the nineteenth century there were multiple challenges toward sending gender norms.

Some critics have advanced the notion that one of the reasons there is such a paucity of women and of strong, beneficent women in particular within this story is due to what they represented in typical Victorian England society. Women were generally viewed as "a social force or a source of authority" which "reinforces this fiction of coherent male identity" (Doane and Hodges 63). This quotation suggests the fact that women were generally the keepers of morality and virtue within Victorian

Beginning in the late 1800’s, the daily life of a woman was very crucial and consistent. Starting from early morning until dusk, the women would care for children, clean the house, and provide any other services they could. Throughout the late 1800’s, women were treated unfairly due to the women assisting their families, caring for children, and being an American housewife.

Gender roles, societal expectations and gainful employment for women in America were quite limited prior to the early 1800s. By 1850 we can see that doors were opening little by little due to subtle changes in attitudes and the needs of our emerging industrialized nation. Many upper middle class women were concerned with more than domesticity. They were felt that a woman was more than a wife and mother only concerned with her home and family. Between 1850 and 1950 the three most important changes for women were political voice due to the women’s suffrage movement, expanded access to education, and rich, educated women leading the way to social reforms.

The roles of women in society have changed a lot since the 1800’s. While in the 1800’s women were viewed as housewives, now it is more common to see something such as single working mothers or a household where the wife is the primary “bread winner”. Today’s women have been provided with the opportunity to get educated, started joining the workforce, and even gained the right to vote. Gaining these rights was not an easy task and it took a lot of hard work and dedication to get them. Even though women have been given these opportunities, women’s rights is still a big and controversial topic in today’s society.

During the 1920s the United States hoped for a “return to normalcy”. World War I had a huge toll and created a number of changes in the society of the nation. Under the mass production, the consumer revolution, and aid of business of the 1920s economy prospered. Women made significant advancement during the decade by gaining suffrage, and changing their roles and image in society. Along with women making advancements African Americans were doing the same, by mixing their culture into society through jazz, and also with the Harlem renaissance the U.S. began to have different views on them. Throughout the single decade after the end of World War I the U.S. experienced significant changes economically, socially, and politically.

During the early 1800's women were stuck in the Cult of Domesticity. Women had been issued roles as the moral keepers for societies as well as the nonworking house-wives for families. Also, women were considered unequal to their male companions legally and socially. However, women’s efforts during the 1800’s were effective in challenging traditional intellectual, social, economical, and political attitudes about a women’s place in society.

Thesis: A “true women” in the 19th Century was one who was domestic, religious, and chaste. These were virtues established by men but enforced and taught by other women. Women were also told that they were inferior to men and they should accept it and be grateful that someone just loved them.

What is America? America is the land of opportunity, freedom, and hope for many. However, it was not always like that for women. Many times throughout the 1920s into the 1950s women were oppressed, depreciated, and deprived of the opportunity to learn and work in their desired profession. Instead, their life was confined to the home and family. While this was a noble role, many women felt that they were being limited and therefore desired more independence. In America, women started to break free of what was expected of them, and continued to push for social, political, educational, and career freedom. By the 1920s, women had experienced significant liberation, as they were then allowed to vote, hold public office, gain a higher education,

There were many great inventions and changes in everyday life during the mid-1800’s. One of the largest transformations was that of the development of factories. The growth of such industry caused a great need for workers. Women were able to answer those employment pleas due to the technological developments having allowed for women to take on a greater role in society; especially so, the labor force. One business, the Lowell Mills, opened it’s doors specifically to women. At first, the people saw this opening to be profane due to a woman’s natural role in the household; providing religious and moral teachings as specifically explained in the ‘Cult of Domesticity’ document. Despite such basic views, the roles of women in society began to adapt as the needs of farmers began to decrease. With such a predicament, many women were left with little to no options; their

Bowles, M. (2011). American history 1865–present: End of isolation. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.