Social And Economic Role Of Women During The Nineteenth Century

Women’s Suffrage issues became prominent in America’s culture when women began leaving their traditional roles as homemakers. Women became more involved in their communities by seeking jobs and fulfilling leadership roles in which they could improve society. In the 1830’s, thousands of women were involved in the movement to abolish slavery. The first organized gathering devoted to women’s rights in the United States was held in July of 1848, in Seneca Falls, New York. Elizabeth Stanton would draft a “Declaration of Sentiments, Grievances, and Resolutions,” based on the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming, “All men and women are created equal” (History.com).

The 1920s had a big impact on American life all around; however, one of the biggest changes during this time period was in the roles of women. During this time period, women started dressing different, leaving the house, getting jobs, and gaining rights. On top of all of that, they had a bigger role in education, they began taking parts in politics, and divorce became more of a common thing. This may not seem like a big deal to people today, but this was very important at the time. Prior, women had next to no rights. They lived to wait on and please their husbands. Women rarely even left the house. This time period could be said to have paved the way for modern day feminism and women’s roles. This was the time period when they began to be free and stop worrying about how society thought they should live. However, the question still remains: Did the changing roles of women in the 1920s really have a significant effect on women’s roles today? In the next few pages, one will be given examples of women’s role before, during, and after the 1920s. In each paragraph, the roles, rights, impacts, and more that women had at these times will be explained. To conclude, a comparison on how women were thought to act in these different time periods will be made in order to come up with an answer for the question stated above.

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.

In the last decades of the nineteenth century, United Stated encountered an urban migration; it was something different and never experienced before. As factories began to open up across the Midwestern and Northern countryside, cities grew up around them. A whole new world was introduced, bringing a mixture of both positive and negative effects into the American society. While the new elite, big businesses, and the American economy in general, enjoyed the benefits of industrialization, many Americans were not so fortunate. Immigrants and former soldiers moved to the cities in search of jobs, money, and new opportunities. This created scarcity in employment and other resources. Cities grew and developed quickly, which caused women to work outside of their homes and farmers felt the difference in urban living. United State was changing because of industrialization. For example, the roles for women had changed greatly in the society because of industrialization. Women who once were caring mothers and housewives became a part of the working class. They didn’t have the time to stay home during the day and take care of their husband and making sure that their children acted properly and were respectful with high moral values. On the other hand, wealthy women considered to be lucky if they were able to stay at home and devote themselves totally to their families. Another example, farmers who were dependent on their skill in farming and the land grew their crops. However, throughout

behind the job. Women of higher class had laborious work to do, although one of the

A woman of 1920 would be surprised to know that she would be remembered as a "new woman." Significant changes for women took place in politics, at home, in workplace, and in education.

Historically, American women in the nineteenth century lived in an age distinguished by gender inequality. Men were expected to live a public life, whether it was working or socializing with other individuals. On the other hand, women were usually expected to live their lives at home. Free time for women was not supposed to be spent living a public life but doing other things related to caring the family.

The traditional “household” women were starting to become more of “factory” women, these women including young, single, white women. Women were the ultimate reason as to why the country ran so smoothly in the nineteenth century. With their efforts inside the home, including child-bearing and normal housework, to their work in industrial and agriculture economies, women helped the economy in extremely productive ways. Soon, the home would no longer be known as the economic center of America, and women would begin to go into their own “private sphere” of their world.

Women were seen as economically incompetent because only men in the middle class were allowed to work and support their family. Women were excluded from the professions, except for writing and teaching. The acceptable occupations in the 19th century were factory labor or domestic work. Society used to think that a woman was just able to serve her husband. Eventually, by the 20th century the great majority of women who were employed in clerical positions, factory work, retail sales, and service jobs. Women in factories often work as machine operators, assemblers, and inspectors. Many women worked as waitresses, cooks, hospital attendants, cleaning women, and hairdressers, secretaries, and bookkeepers. However, they were paid less than men.

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

Growing up as a female has never been easy, especially in the past. Their rights and opportunities have evolved throughout the centuries because of prejudiced minds and unfair treatment. This has been an issue throughout the years, although the women of today’s day and age have become triumphant and taken the initiative to create a change. The 19th century was a turning point in women’s history for their rights, education, and expectations that have led for them to become what they are today.

The pictures above portray the emergence of the women in the workforce during the 19th Century. The role of women at the workplace started out with simple factory jobs during the Industrial Revolution. With a serious drop in the birth rate and a subsequent rise of the industrial economy during this period more and more women were going out to work. With the numbers of clerical positions opening up in cities and emergence of factories women were becoming essential to the working class.

In both North America and Western Europe, in the 19th century, women and men were expected to have different roles in society. Women have traditionally been made to domestic servitude. In the 19th century the value system of women was based on the cult of domesticity. The cult of domesticity is essentially an outline of what a woman should represent. It includes characteristics such as piety, purity, submission, and domesticity. To be specific the characteristics were made for white women. Women were the homemakers; the job of a woman was to take care of the maintenance of the family. While the job of a man was to provide and protect the family. The role of women is slowly changing in the United States and Western European society. Today, women

After the 19th Amendment, women finally had more rights and freedom than ever. Women waited so long to have political power, and after years of waiting, their wishes were finally granted. Now today women are looked up to instead of being limited and left out of a lot of things they should be able to do. There’s still a lot of gender inequality but over the years it has changed drastically. A lot of big decisions in the past were affected by women, like the election of John. F

History has shown that when social movements seek influence in society, they divide the people under the guise of “revolution”. They find a scapegoat for social shortcomings, marginalize them, and use aggressive, fiery rhetoric to instigate hate. By utilizing deceptive statistics and provoking emotional responses, movements can drive the population en masse to actions that were once thought ridiculous and inconceivable. Hitler’s Nazis blamed the Jews. Lenin’s Bolsheviks blamed the upper class. Feminism blames men.