Repression Of Women In The 19th Century

Women in the nineteenth century lived in a time characterized by gender inequality. At the beginning of the century, women could not vote, could not be sued, were extremely limited over personal property after marriage, and were expected to remain obedient to their husbands and fathers.( women’s suffrage movement 1) In most situations, the men would have to go to work and bring home the money, and the women would have no choice but to stay home, clean the

The Second Industrial Revolution had a major impact on women's lives. After being controlled fro so long women were experiencing what it was like to live an independent life. In the late nineteenth century women were participating in a variety of experiences, such as social disabilities confronted by all women, new employment patterns, and working class poverty and prostitution. These experiences will show how women were perceived in the Second Industrial Revolution.

Before 1840 women were viewed as something that needed to be taken care of. They could not own property, fathers would not mention their daughters in their wills, women could not be treasurer of their own companies, it was the husband’s responsibility. Only seven vocations were available to them outside of the home in the late 1840’s; widows would receive no share of her husband’s property or his families, and if one did not marry or remarry she had to enter one of the few employments for her or be a charity case for her relatives. When factory jobs became available to women they were quickly taken because it gave women a way to be independent and not a burden to their loved ones, but earn and spend their own money however the wished. For once

As the perception of women changes constantly, society is the only factor in creating their ideal image. These societal views are the basis of their treatment, with the expectation that it is beneficial for them. However, societal expectations of women in the Elizabethan and Victorian eras severely limit their freedoms and rights. William Shakespeare’s Othello and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein portray most women in their typical roles. Both authors depict the level of injustice in society’s treatment of women through the passivity of women causing their deaths, the silencing of vulnerable women and the portrayal of women as more humane than men.

Reading literature, at first, might seem like simple stories. However, in works like William Faulkner's “A Rose for Emily,” Katherine Mansfield's “Miss Brill,” and Kate Chopin's “The Storm,” the female protagonists are examples of how society has oppressive expectations of women simply because of their gender.

The advancement of women in society is a remarkable achievement, and the first step to true equality in the world. Despite the tremendous progress, oppression faced in the past should not be forgotten, largely because it is present modern society as well. In Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, both female relationships and identities are explored to determine the purpose of women. Society's historic tendency to undervalue women is seen more in The Handmaid's Tale than in The Color Purple.

Women's lives and furthermore role in the public eye has changed radically during 1800s. The significance behind females was adjusted and affected within the nineteenth century in the political, economic, and social domains. Despite the fact that their social roles were not altered much, the progressivism, liberalism, and reforms of the period as well as impacts of Industrialization awarded women a considerably more critical role in the public arena and society as a whole. Within the social realm, their role differentiated in the nineteenth century, yet women were still to be subservient to men regardless.

Over time, “more and more women came to realize that in order to be effective social reforms they would first need to acquire legal rights as women.” Some women accepted their status, but many others rebelled against it (American Social Reform Movements Reference Library 1). Meaning the women did not want to do what they needed to do to get legal rights as women and just went on being dependent on the men in their life to support

The treatment of women and their response to it impacts culture all throughout history. It is easy to focus on the mistreatment that has fallen onto women globally: abusive relationships, lack of access to education and jobs, lack of respect shown and responsibility outside of child-bearing and rearing given and the psychological effects such treatment can cause. However, it is uplifting to focus on examples of women who are able to overcome and rise above such trials through persistence, thick skin, confidence, hard work and education. Literature is always a reflection of the time period and societal views at that time. Therefore, we can see a glimpse of the time period’s view of women when we read certain works and see their view of women.

In the early 1800’s, women were second class citizens with little to no political rights, and limited access to education and professional careers. Women were not granted the same privileges as men, for educating women outside the home or women obtaining professional jobs went against traditional views. The ideology behind it was that men and women ideally inhabited different societal spheres. Men dominated the public sphere which had opportunities for education, paid labor, fighting in wars, and political rights. However, as industrialization and the population grew in the North, working class women began entering the public sphere for job opportunities.

Do women continue to struggle for equality in the world? The answer may vary from person to person. Although conditions have improved for women in the United States, women are still subjected to unequal pay, rape and sexual harassment, underrepresentation in government, exclusive responsibility to the household, and are less likely than men to have careers in science, technology, engineering, and math. A male-dominated world is a reality that has been ingrained into society ever since the beginning of time. Women have been exploited throughout history, and many examples of oppression can be identified in the past. The examination of literature in stories such as “A Jury of Her Peers” and “The Story of An Hour” provides evidence of the normality of oppression against the marital role of women. Authors Susan Glaspell and Kate Chopin lived during similar time periods, and they expressed themes related to the anguish women had to face while searching for their own self-identity and fighting against conformity.

As modern times drew closer the classical roles of females would have become obsolete and inefficient in such a rapidly growing industrial society. Looking at that the Eighteenth - Nineteenth Centuries purely from an economical view; without the help of women as “visible” members of society the Industrial Revolution would not have had such a dramatic and sweeping effect on society. “For thousands of years the achievements of women, if not actively erased from human history, have been largely ignored. History was written almost exclusively by men about men - men's wars, men's accomplishments, and men's discoveries” (Ashby and Gore p.15). Becoming visible was a long and tedious process; women were constantly being knocked down as their male-counterparts got all

Since records began, women have held the stigma for being the weaker and insignificant sex in comparison to men. Women were and are lower in society, which gives men the mind-set that women are objects rather than people. Throughout history, women are constrained to play the minor roles; supporting men and caring for children. Women are considered of no value in a male chauvinist society. Both “An Inspector Calls” and “Of Mice and Men” explore the theme of the exploitation of women.

During Britain’s Industrial Revolution, a multitude of different jobs were opened to the working class of men, women, and children. While this era offered a wide variety of new opportunities for everyone, women were somewhat excluded in areas such as occupation availability and wage due to the cultural norms of the time period.

The representation of women in Joseph Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’ has received much scrutiny since its publication in 1899. The novella reflects a period in Britain and other parts of the world, where women were viewed as inadequate and deficient compared to their male counterparts. Women were not respected as strong-minded individuals, treated as equals and given fair opportunities in a male centric world. This is evidenced in the rise of the suffrage movement in the early to mid 1900s whose main purpose was to allow women the right to vote. Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’ supports a stereotypical mind-set of women through the narrative voice and main character of Charles Marlow. In this essay, I will accentuate the latent sexism in ‘Heart