The Social Theories of Harriet Martineau

As the United States was continuing recovering from the Civil War and embracing the expansion of the West, industrialization, immigration and the growth of cities, women’s roles in America were changing by the transformation of this new society. During the period of 1865-1912, women found themselves challenging to break the political structure, power holders, cultural practices and beliefs in their “male” dominated world.

The Role Women Played in the Social Reform Movements of the Antebellum Period Comprehending the lives of American women and their roles is fundamental for understanding the entire antebellum period in America. The period 1820 to 1870 in the United States was marked by a forceful and widespread debate on woman's roles and their proper vocation whether this be in the home or outside the home and becoming wage earners. This was, however, still a time in which females were encouraged to be pure, dutiful, domestic and compliant by men and the government. On the other hand, due through this, the evident truth was ignored that was that women’s roles were steadily beginning to reach outside the family and

Their stance may not have been as boisterous then as it is now, but they have always played an important role within the formation of todays’ society. The final attribute, studied within this chapter, supports this notion with the rise of female workers within America. Some of the most famous women social employees were: Jane Addams, Charlotte Gilman, Anna Cooper, Ida Wells-Barnett, Marianne Weber, and Beatrice Webb. Each of these women were still looked upon as inferior to men despite their contributions to society as a whole. These women believed sociology was developed from scholarly investigations that helped to attribute to the ideology of improving ones’ life through education and learning means. The women believed that this change would bring about both a sense of belong for women within cultural societies as well as modeling the community into a world in which everyone can coincide together. Their work would not be accounted for under the sociological realm of study… but it would be attributed to the greater sense of communal study as it is known

Women’s roles have changed greatly throughout history. As the advancement of culture, laws, and ideas altered ways of life, women’s lives also evolved in numerous aspects of society. Women’s roles changed greatly between 1815 and 1860. During this time, family dynamics changed as the mothers that were placed at the center of the household were given greater freedoms. In addition, women had more opportunity to take on jobs in the workplace. Women also fought for reform movements that altered their ways of life in the community. During the reform era of the United States, factors such as religion, education, and reforms greatly changed women’s roles in the family, workplace, and society.

Locating a pattern of events that would validate the negative impacts the social world has on women is nearly impossible given the organization of gender roles and expectations of both women and men in 1973. Sociologist and author Dorothy Smith attempts to convey the conflicting roles of the women in relation to men. Writing Women's Perspective as a Radical Critique of Sociology to serve as a representation of the classic Marxist dilemma. A women, a single mother and a scholar Dorothy has first hand knowledge of the flaws in the gender hierarchy found in a male dominated society. Even so it can not be denied that this perspective casts a shadow over the way In which she chooses to define the social world,women and experiences in her writing. An achieved collective identity consciousness is at the core of Dorothy’s way of thinking. Calling into question the structure of the disciple of Sociology. Expanding she asks the read the central questions,“ What can we ask of this social reality that was previously unavailable was indeed repressed? What happens as we begin to relate it in terms of the disciple? At the crux of her argument of a collective experience she pulls a second objective that is geared toward the analysis of the lack of female representation in the field of sociology. Insinuating that the collective experience of women as a

Through Women’s Eyes by Ellen Carol DuBois and Lynn Dumenil addresses American History from 1865 until present day. The third edition of this textbook includes visual and primary sources over several centuries. I used this textbook in a history course, “Women in the United States, 1890 – Present;” I found the textbook to be engaging, helpful, and useful throughout the course. The way in which in the information was presented allowed me to learn, assess, and analyze the difficulties women faced.

Women, like black slaves, were treated unequally from the male before the nineteenth century. The role of the women played the part of their description, physically and emotionally weak, which during this time period all women did was took care of their household and husband, and followed their orders. Women were classified as the “weaker sex” or below the standards of men in the early part of the century. Soon after the decades unfolded, women gradually surfaced to breathe the air of freedom and self determination, when they were given specific freedoms such as the opportunity for an education, their voting rights, ownership of property, and being employed.

The economic “market revolution” and the religious “Second Great Awakening” shaped American society after 1815. Both of these developments affected women significantly, and contributed to their changing status both inside and outside the home. Throughout time, women’s roles and opportunities in the family, workplace, and society have greatly evolved.

During the 1800’s, women were subject to increasing discrimination, especially throughout the public sphere. Women were expected to take care of the house, children, and the husband. There was a fundamental belief that men owned their wives, allowing a gross

Primarily, male scientists overburdened women peers with household responsibilities, deterring them from absolute concentration on their careers. Moreover, women struggled to concur on their own gender discrimination, bifurcating between traditionalists and the so-called “revolutionaries” fighting for equality. Finally, with organized societies recalcitrant to accept women, female scientists relied on their husbands to legitimize their work, furthering the illusion of dependence.The marginalization of women and their eventual break through to the intrinsic discrimination harkens immense similarity to the 1920’s Suffragette movement. While women struggled to prove themselves as full citizens, capable and fully redeemable of choosing leaders, men continued to disseminate lies and vicious vitriol to prevent this inalienable right. Eventually, despite discrimination across all platforms, women through their tireless efforts were able to prove that the mind, the soul, and the spirit are

Society has long since considered women the lessor gender and one of the most highly debated topics in society through the years has been that of women’s equality. The debates began over the meaning between a man and woman’s morality and a woman’s rights and obligations in society. After the 19th Amendment was sanctioned around 1920, the ball started rolling on women’s suffrage. Modern times have brought about the union of these causes, but due to the differences between the genetic makeup and socio demographics, the battle over women’s equality issue still continues to exist. While men have always held the covenant role of the dominant sex, it was only since the end of the 19th century that the movement for women’s equality and the

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.

Smith began her journey of reconstructing the ideology of sociology of the feminine perspective at the University of British Columbia. She attributes most of her transformation of perspective to the women educators at the university at the time; Annette Kolodny, Helga Jacobson, and Meredith Kimball, as well as the 70s and 60s women’s movement. The women and women’s movement helped her to recognize the need for change in sociological perspective of women, for which it had previously been constructed by men. Through this recognition she began to centralize her work around her personal experience in the roles of a mother and housewife.

have much to learn. A key turning point in discrimination against women was the courageous actions of Harriet Martineau. Harriet was born in 1802, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Martineau. She grew up in a home without any encouragement for her

Their position in society was no longer just in the home as a wife, they now had the choice to work outside the home if they wanted to and through the introduction of contraception they could decide when and if they wanted children. They now could make decisions and have an impact on society. Macionis & Plummer (2002:31) highlight the fact that it is evident that sociology was centred on men and the voices of women were devoid. They argue that it was because of feminism and feminist theories that there was a significant change within society for women.