Male And Female Roles In The 1800's

This is a great source for women's roles. It is a great source because it lists off the many jobs women had when the colonist settled and and after they had been in Maryland for quite sometime. Although the jobs varied house hold to house hold because of social status this is a great representation of what type of jobs women would of had during the 1700s time

I have to let the readers know how I stumbled upon this topic to introduce where I get my ideas from. It all started in the archive located on the second floor of the library in a dark corner behind a clear glass doors at the Hunter College. I have been attending Hunter College for four years and never have I stumbled on such an amazing place full of live history. I say live history because all the documents and books that are held in the archive are all preserved originals, which fascinated me. Thinking how people who lived more than century ago wrote and read the same things I’m writing and reading about excited me to my very soul. Archive research though fascinating is not an easy task that can be done in within fifteen minutes like how researches are done these days using convenient technologies at hand.

Women were expected to stay in the home and care for their families while being completely dependent upon their husbands or fathers to provide for them. As towns became more populated and the sense of community grew, women socialized with one another. Many enjoyed the convenience of a modern home and their primary responsibility was to take care of the needs of their families. This traditional role started to transform dramatically during the early 1800’s when families decided to move west for new economic opportunities. Pioneer life was rough and in order for these families to survive, everyone had to work hard.

Throughout the 1920s, marriage was thought of to be a symbol of love and happiness between a married couple. Along with that came the expectation of starting a family and a new chapter in the couple’s lives. Most marriages that took place were based on romance instead of just marrying just to get money, which was rarely seen. Gender roles had an impact when getting married and starting a family. Living in the 1920’s brought more positive, as well as negative, impacts when it came to restarting the economy. Gender roles in marriage decided who stayed at home to take care of the children along with house duties and who went to work to provide for the family. Throughout these times, gender roles either imposed by society or created within the home, have altered dynamics within the home and society.

Syed Ali English 126 CD3 Professor Stapleton 23rd December 2014 Roles and Rights of Women The roles and rights of women were considered less important than the average man in the late 1800s. The roles of women has dramatically evolved throughout the years. During the late 1870's women were often thought of as secondary citizens to men.

Prior to the American Revolution, women did not have the choice of having ownership of their own property. Whatever they had belonged to the husband, that was the head of her. “In her new status as feme covert, or woman covered, all that she owned became her husband’s property, even the clothes on her back. (Berkin, 5-6). In the 1760s, a women’s destiny was limited to marriage or spinsterhood. Their rights were much restricted. Women mainly predominately executed daily housewife activities such as scouring furniture, sowing, preparing a husband’s meal. “Her domain was the household, the garden, and the hen house…” (Berkin, 6). Roles differed depending on their social status and wealth, but overall women were not educated. If educated, it was finite to the basics. Men led the main role in economics, until the emergence of the American Revolution. Everything took a turn

In the United States of America, there is always a power struggle. Women of the late 1800s showed men that they were here to change things up. The struggle even came from within, between the white and black women to see who would get power first. So, the struggle in late 1800s America was between the role of a man and a woman and was ultimately changing the role of a female in America, creating hundreds and hundreds of unions and associations, and finally creating many laws that were create an equal opportunity at the American dream.

The 1920’s was an age of dramatic social and political change. Lots of Americans moved to Urban Areas than farms. More and more people were getting wealthy which swept them into a consumer society. Many people would buy goods off of advertisements , listen to the same music, and did the same dances. Many Americans felt uncomfortable with the new racy mass culture. Many women before the 1920’s were seen as housewives, not being able to work, weak and unequal to men. After the 1920’s everything changed. Women’s Roles and Lives changed because they had more job opportunities , had the ability to vote and had self worth.

Throughout life every man and woman fits into a specific gender role. We are told what is expected of men and women from birth until death. Many people influence our view of how we should act and what we should say such as our parents, friends, and even the media. Males and females play very different roles and these differences are apparent in our every day lives. These differences are not the same as they used to be. Society has changed the way it treats men and women over time.

The early 1800’s was a booming time in American society. The population was growing rapidly with an influx of immigrants. If you happen to be lucky enough to be white, and of European dissent, you were regarded in a much higher light and were allowed to be successful. As stated in the article The Emergence of “Women’s Sphere”, if you were a “true man” you were concerned with success and moving up the social ladder; he was aggressive, competitive and rational and channeled all of his time and energy into his work. A “true woman”, on the other hand, was virtuous.

Gender roles were sharply defined in the 19th century. Women were expected to stay at home and carry out the domestic duties as well as taking care of the children and educate them and provide a peaceful home for their husband. Women were seen as loving and caring. On the other hand, men were expected to work and earn money for the family. They would fight wars and were seen as strong and powerful. Men had more freedom and rights, such as the right to vote, than women in the 19th century. Society had created two completely separate spheres. In the medical field, men were doctors. There were laws in many states, such as, that prohibited women from becoming doctors. Women, who decided to practice medicine in the 19th century had to struggle with much opposition because it went against prevailing ideas about women’s role in society. Women belonged in the private and domestic sphere. Men belonged to competitive and immoral public sphere of industry and commerce. The women in medicine would face accusations that they were abandoning their sphere and threatening society. Due to these arguments and the fear of economic competition from female practitioner, male medical schools and hospitals denied women access to institutions. However, Elizabeth Blackwell, changed this idea of separate spheres when she decided to take on the medical field and become a doctor. Although Elizabeth Black had a natural aversion to the medical field, her

Men and women who lived in Norway during the 1800’s both were restricted to specific roles in and outside of the household. However, rarely in the 1800’s did Victorian men and women share the same responsibilities. If they did, you may have seen the “women working alongside husbands and brothers in the family business” (Hughes, Gender roles in the 19th century). This makes women seem as if they are compared to men as “physically weaker” during the time period of the Victorian era (Hughes, Gender roles in 19th century). Also, this demonstrates how women supported men and built them up so that men could fully use all of their capabilities to be successful at their jobs. Without this supporting system underlying the men, their businesses may have

Gender defined roles are continuously adapting to the new societal norms of the era. There is a surplus of historical events that have reimagined the traditional expectations of a man or women.

In the mid 1800’s in the US, women were responsible for completing duties at home and raising their kids. Their everyday routine consisted of waking up the kids, cooking all three meals, cleaning the house, washing dishes, doing laundry and completing all other household chores. If they lived on a farm, women would help with farming and raising livestock. Married women were considered property to their husband. The status of a woman is based on her husband's status. All women, regardless of social status, were not granted any rights. During this time, some women were into politics and began to question the establishment of political authority. The common question was why was political authority only granted to men. In the mid 1800, in some

Gender roles have been changing throughout the centuries with both men and women. The most and drastic change has occurred in our 21st century to women. Women are now viewed as equals in the work and home, they are able to achieve just as much as men and no longer have limits suppressing them. There have been limits put on women since the beginning of time, women were to attend to the house and children but never other responsibilities beyond that. This change in gender roles has shaped our society in numerous ways making new jobs for women and breaking through social norms. Throughout history the role of women has dramatically changed, first with women being primary caregivers and up keepers of the house to women being able to have their own careers and lastly to being equal to men and no longer being inferior to them.