Feminism In The Novel Herland

In the 1900s women were not primarily seen in the work force. Women were at home cooking fresh meals mostly from the garden they grew themselves. They cleaned the house, and took care of the offspring. Women accommodated to their men. The men were the main source of income. The women typically didn’t see the money nor spend it. If the women were single they happened to work but it was little pesky job such as a waitress. In 1930s even during the great depression women were discouraged getting jobs. Until later on during the 1960s that’s when women started to stand up for their rights. This is when they passed a bill stating “Title VII of the Civil Rights Act bans discrimination in employment on the basis of race and sex. At the same time the Act establishes the Equal Employment

Many women of the early 1900’s wanted to be treated fairly and equally to their male counterparts. For a long time, it was not even socially acceptable for a woman to work. As a woman’s job in society started involving be part of the work force, many

As you know many things have changed since the 1960s and 1970s. For instance, women’s rights. Women rights have come a long way in education, work, family life, politics, and sports. But I am writing to remind you the importance in women’s work force. Women have always in a general manner…been under appreciated. It seemed however that sometimes needs made men realize or potential. You see during world war 2, nearly all women worked…this was directly related to the fact that men where away at war. Women worked both hard labor, and intelligent jobs. After they returned; women gave up their jobs and let men take over. Most women enjoyed the thought of a house life, but I don’t think most knew exactly what they were getting themselves into. Women

In the mid to late 1700's, the women of the United States of America had practically no rights. When they were married, the men represented the family, and the woman could not do anything without consulting the men. Women were expected to be housewives, to raise their children, and thinking of a job in a factory was a dream that was never thought impossible. But, as years passed, women such as Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, and Elizabeth Blackwell began to question why they were at home all day raising the children, and why they did not have jobs like the men. This happened between the years of 1776 and 1876, when the lives and status of Northern middle-class woman was changed forever. Women began to

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.

From the beginning of time women were raised to reproduce and none of them had an opportunity to work outside they’re house. They played the role of the stay at home mother who cooked, cleaned and cared for the children while the father worked to sustain the family’s needs. Up until the late 1800s, women had no other option but to live this stereotypical lifestyle. Back in this time period, feminism happened to be a major issue. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary feminism is “the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.” The Progressive Era (1890s-1920s) began the sweep of the Women’s Rights movement in the United States. Then on August 18th, 1920 women received equality by the passing of the 19th

Women Are Not Inferior Woman is treated as the weaker gender. Traditionally women are the ones who cook and take care of the family. Men are the ones who go to work. Some men believe that women cannot have careers, play sports, or do hard work as they do.

On the day June 10th, 1963 Former President John F. Kennedy had passed the equal rights law. One of the many reasons why he had passed this law is because; many of the women that were working were mothers. “At the time, one in three American workers was a woman–25 million women in all–many of whom were working mothers and/or the sole breadwinner in their family.” (History) Another reason is because of how men made more money because in the 1960s many people were against women getting equal pay because they are sexist. Many of the women who did work barely made and money to support their families.

In 1920, women won the right to vote and they were gradually moving into the male-dominated labor force, but gender roles were not changing much. Due to the World War II draft, many women entered the labor force and even helped run the country. Upon the return of the veterans, many women were forced back into their homes. However, the opportunities for women were broadening and some women began making careers for themselves outside of the home. The 1960’s saw many feminist movements and in 1963 the Equal Pay Act was passed by Congress which enticed more women to get out of the house and into better careers.

The early twentieth century, a time of debates over women’s rights, paved the way for two conflicting definitions of feminism. There was one definition, referred to as humanist or identity feminism. It asserts that women are essentially human, and therefore deserve the same liberties as men in all scenarios, because they are fundamentally more the same than different, to their male counterparts. In contrast, there is the other definition, named difference or complementarity feminism. It says women and men are different but equal, because they posses distinct qualities that complete each other, when a union is formed. The utopian novel, Herland, by feminist Charlotte Gilman, pulls from both

Gender roles is a very controversial topic in today’s society, especially when it comes to working. 100 years ago, in Europe, women were working long hours in factories. Women also worked as nurses, cleaned wealthy people 's homes, and were craftswomen. Meanwhile, 100 years ago in the United States women were expected to stay home and take care of the family/home, while the men went out and worked an average of ten hours a day for six days a week, compared to the traditional five day weeks and 8 hour days.

Early on in the 19th century, society considered women equivalent to property and ranking far beneath men. In fact “ (w)omen were expected to remain subservient to their fathers and husbands” (Feminism). Currently, in the 21st Century, women live independently and raise families independently as single mothers. No longer relying on men, women work for themselves and support themselves and families.

Women fought very hard for their rights in the workplace. Some of them, including Susan B Anthony, went above and beyond the norm. Yet, today our rights are still not the same as a man’s. At one point women weren’t allowed to work at all, and today they are allowed to have jobs while still being home makers. Although improvements have been made, there are still several dilemmas that need to be addressed. A women earns less than a man when doing the same work, and that is extremely unfair. Another issue in the workplace is that men underestimate women due to lack of strength and discrimination. There are also the issues of pregnancy and sexual

Women never received the credit they deserved. They have equal employment as men, but still faced discrimination. By the 1980’s over 50 percent of women students had higher education. As unemployment decreased in the 1990’s women began to be laid off, or fired from these life long careers they have perceived. Women begin the era of being classified as stay at home moms. Men who were successful allowed women to stay at home. Women who had to have a job for financial reasons had a very tough time finding work. Women often turned to prostitution for money, escape poverty or abusive husbands.

During the long history of science fiction, one of the most common themes is the utopia. Many feminists used utopia to convey their ideas. Two of these stories, Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and "When It Changed" by Joanna Russ portray feminist utopias in different ways. Herland shows a society lacking men, and makes this seem positive, while "When It Changed" shows an all-female society that mirrors a world with men. Through their respective stories, the authors are saying that women should be considered equal to men. Gilman points out that women should be accepted because they can survive on their own, while Russ suggests that women can be as