Civil War Gender Roles

The nineteenth century was a busy time in America. Many things occurred, from the abolishment of slavery to technological advancements such as the first sewing machine. But with the Second Great Awakening and different moral values came new ideas for the government and society. The main reforms were temperance, prison, education, and women’s education. All of these have led to good advancements in society, but also have come with drawbacks.

Women’s role in society was completely redefined after the passing of the 19th Amendment, women’s suffrage, on August 18, 1920. For centuries, men defined women; the world was male-centered and male-dominated. Male philosophers and social theorists were the ones who identified woman with disorder, savagery, chaos, unreason, and the excluded “other.” According to James Branch Cabell women were considered nothing more than conveniences; they were useful for keeping a household as well as for copulation and pleasure (McConnaughy 112). The turn of the century and its many changes, industrialization in particular, gave a number of women the chance to work outside of the home.

This brings me to describe the other amazing role that women played in the civil war, such as: hidden soldiers, nurses, spies, war relief workers, and even simple homemakers. One of the most interesting a fascinating roles that women played during the great Civil War was being an undercover soldier. The numbers of hidden female soldiers range from 400-750. Since it was illegal for women to go to battle, the dames of that time had to disguise themselves. Not only does this mean their appearance, but also their name and voice.

America in the 19th century was, as for most of its history, divided sharply between rural and urban environments. Women on farms in Indiana and working in factories in the cities were expected to behave in fairly different manners. But while there lives were different, the struggle for equality became important for both. For so many women in history, being equal was something of value and of importance to them, but every time “equality” was brought up, it was just ignored.

Immediately following the Civil War, America began on the move to rebuild a nation where advance technologies are being invented as more citizens are giving more opportunities in their life choices. As the reconstruction of America shifted onto different approaches, there were significant changes in the perspectives of how certain ideas come into play. One such idea is the roles of genders and how each sex should play in society. Before the Civil War, males and females have specific duties that were designated for their gender. Males have the role of being “in charge” of the household because they provided the money, shelter, food, etc for the family, while the women was responsible for the housework and taking care of the children.

Such a notion not only served it a greater social purpose as it gave more power to men who were seen as natural leaders, but at the same time formed gender identities while preserving the archetype of femininity and masculinity. According to Barbara Welter, a historian and author of The Cult of True Womanhood: 1820-1860 (1966), the nineteenth century American society was a reflection of gender stereotypes where roles assigned to sex held women in the cultural manacles of subordination and limits. The work illustrates the gender boundary between men and women, while focusing on the hailed pure image of a housewife, who suppressed her instincts aspirations, and accepted the chores dictated by the cultural division supporting the policy governed by social hierarchy resulting in misogyny. In this fundamental for this thesis discourse, Barbara Welter provides various exemplars of limiting women’s development and pointed the route regarding little room for intellectual maneuver what translated into docile behaviour. The author writes that “submission was perhaps the most feminine virtue expected of

Some women were rebelling and fighting for more independence. However, the predominant message women received from society were still the ideas of subservience and housewifery. Even if women felt as if their purpose extended outside of the home, they were taught to repress that feeling and stick to what society wanted for them. Many women of the time appeared to be brainwashed, in a sense--void of any desires or wants for themselves, all energy and time focused on the home and family. A Harpers Weekly advertisement from 1953 details the monotonous tasks and chores delegated to a housewife, showing a day governed entirely by the husband’s “commuting schedule,” full of general housekeeping, shopping, and doing whatever it takes to satisfy the children and impress the husband.

In the nineteenth century, while various parts of the world were progressing be it in the abolishing of slavery and the implementation of democracy, the treatment of women both in reality and in literature remained unchanged. Gender roles in the 19th century were more pronounced than ever, and there was a clear and distinguished line that had been drawn between men and women. This was because of something called separate spheres (Victorian terminology). Separate spheres refers to the natural characteristics of women and men – men were thought to belong to the public sphere because they were “powerful” and “logical” and “independent” while women in comparison belonged to the private sphere because they were considered to be “weak,” and “passive” and “illogical.”

The role of women in the United States has been determining since the country was still thirteen colonies. The role in the past defined women to do only their own domestications and household works, such as cleaning, finding some foods, taking care their children and farms, and sometimes their stores. They had no any rights in their property, including to be a head of household, even their husbands were gone or passed away. They also did not have any chances to be one part of politics, and they had no any political voices as much as men did in the society. After the colonies became the United States, however, these women took more active roles in the society by taking care their households instead of their husbands and being participated in

The nineteenth century is considered to be one of the most revolutionary centuries for woman’s rights and the feminist movement. During the 19th century, women were subject to the accepted standards and roles placed on them by society and any other actions were seen as deviant and unacceptable. The feminist movement during this time was then created by a group of women who believed in the feminist theory. The feminist theory stated that men and women should be given the same opportunity for political, economic, and social equality. During this movement and time of gradual change, a few women began to publish novels in which they explored and exposed the unfair societal limitations and pressures placed on women.

The fourth cardinal virtue of a True Woman was “domesticity”. It meant a woman’s understanding and realization of responsibilities as a house manager. The bifurcation of society into separate spheres sidelined women to domestic affairs. For a Victorian woman, the only option was to invest her energies in domestic work. Therefore, the Victorian society expected dexterity in domestic duties from woman.

Civil or political rights for the female was strictly limited, as they were considered susceptible and fragile which were not capable of making their own decisions. The conduct book Woman in her Social and Domestic Character (1831) representing the traditional ideas about Victorian women, the author believes the domestic home life is the primary sources of a woman’s influence, while they should take the subordinate position to men . Therefore, we can see women at that time were expected to marry and live up to an image of “ideal wife”– submissive, demure and perform domestic duties–rather than receive the formal

The nineteenth-century society regarded ladies as peasants. In spite of the fact that they had certain legitimate rights, those were not regarded, all things considered. The prime part of ladies was to deliver youngsters and to be great spouses; ladies learnt to play the piano, to sing, to wear dresses and so forth. Ladies were compelled to live in a condition of unending youth relying upon the male relative.

In the 19th century, women were considered mothers and wives. Women have struggled since the early ages trying to advance in knowledge. “For many people today the word Victorian continues to carry a connotation of prudery and sexual repression; it was an age that un questionably preceded the onset of "the permissive society. ”(Walter) Tracy Chevalier has examples of how women struggled in her book Remarkable Creatures.

“Further, the 1948 Women’s Armed Services Integration Act created a permanent corps of women in all the military departments” (Let Women Fight, The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing, 341). Recent policy changes have caused confusion between the distinction between support roles and actual combat roles. Since women are allowed to serve in support units, the barrier that once existed to keep them from combat has almost disappeared. Meanwhile the U.S. military is searching to find a method to recognize the fact that women fight in wars. As time marches on, the idea of women in combat is becoming more and more accepted in the United