Gender Roles In Antebellum

A Woman Lost in a Patriarchal Society Feminism and gender differences contribute a major role in the works of authors from the 18th and 19th century. During that point in history, women were essentially treated as second-class citizens without the ability to do anything less they faced judgment and ostracization from members of society. Women were not allowed to vote, own property nor be accepted into prominent leading positions. Instead, many were required to stay in the home and care for the family which mainly included the well being of their husband. Women lacked the freedom and independence they not only wanted but needed due to a society run patriarchal views that hindered the growth of women.

Their only importance was to cook, clean birth babies and support their husbands quietly. It was socially accepted that women were to be totally subordinate to the men in there family. Women in this time period did not have her own identity, she was under the ruling of her husband. In the drama A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, The character Nora Helmer uses her relationships with her husband and friends to show characteristics of Feminism in her true identity during

The 19th Century is on record as one where male dominance and authoritarianism was the order of the day. Women were mainly passive and subservient. However, towards the end of the century, women started questioning their assigned roles and responded swiftly to the sex battle that was common during that period in a number of ways. They revolted and wanted to take action aimed at changing the perspective of the society. These women showed that they wanted more from life and had different aspirations than what was give to them at the time.

The U.S. women’s movement started in 1848 when Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott participated in the Seneca Falls Convention in New York to talk about various social, civil, and religious condition and rights of women (Women’s History in the U.S....). Over time, this inspired many women to stand up for their own beliefs and for the better for women in future generations. During World War I, high birth rates led to food and supply shortages, and disease which mainly affected those in poverty (Putting Margaret Sanger’s Ideas in Context). At the time, a woman’s life revolved around bringing food home and onto the table which became an issue with the lack of supplies and the best foods would be given first to men (Comstockery in America).

There have been many movements over time that has led America to where we are today. “The Antebellum reforms was a new, more radical anti-slavery movement that emerged by the early 1830s. Its program for ending slavery stood in stark contrast to the “colonizationist” position earlier advocated by some prominent Americans and embodied in the American Colonization Society (1816–1964)”. (Walters, 1995) This reforms were put into place to better everyone as well as their families. Women finally got the freedom to have a choice as well as options on things in their lives.

In the eighteenth century, women’s positions in societal hierarchy in France were considered inferior to a man and they had no political or voting rights compared to their counterpart. They were viewed physically different than men and destined to a domestic role of taking care of the family rather than involved in public affairs and political rights of society. Most women were housekeepers, peasants, shopkeepers or laundresses and were second-rate to men. Women did not have the same freedom as men and were considered inactive citizens and had to depend on men. The French Revolution changed everything giving women the opportunity to contribute to their own freedom and fight for equal rights.

However, the women of the lower classes were mostly excluded from the political matters. The role of women in society among the writers of the Enlightenment was a subject of intense debates. Most of the intellectuals of the Enlightenment often took a traditional stance on the role of the women in society. They viewed women as biologically and therefore socially different from men, destined to play domestic roles inside the family rather than public. In his book Emile, he described his vision of an ideal education for women and advocated that women should take an active role in the family.

Women in the Victorian Era People do not often talk about women before the 20th century. There are sometimes names thrown around of influential women, but women from the Victorian era are made to seem like they were either in the background with not much to them, or they had to be someone incredible to be taken seriously. However, women during these times were experiencing their fair share of hardships and were more complex than people have been lead to believe. Women in the Victorian Era had to deal with their society’s roles that they were given, how they were treated due to their social classes, the world of prostitution, and the never ending cycle of menstruation. All of these things made the women of this time more respectable than people

Yes, because there are still traditional races and countries who treat women unjustly and still sees them as people who should only stay at home. They should not be given proper education because their sole purpose is to be a wife and mother and eventually serve their families instead of having a professional career. On the other hand, men are required to provide and make sure that their families’ needs are met. No, because women were already empowered, well-educated and capable of a lot of things. They already had their voices heard and perhaps already won the fight over stereotyping of gender roles.

This code denied women any legal rights and access to divorce, which meant that their husbands had control over them, confining them to a subordinate, domestic role. Before the French revolution, women played a domestic role and they were subject to limitations. The law was against them. They couldn’t vote, act in plays or get a job to generate their own income. Yet, the paintings that were produced during the time, depicted them as desirable, beautiful and

Women, like black slaves, still could not vote as well as legally be beaten by their overlord. The newly established market economy was the main cause for separating the sex into extremely distinct economic roles. Women were being view as physically and emotionally weaker compared to men but also considered

While reading about American history the thing that I found most appealing was the limited rights that women had during this era. Although women gave the early settlers longer life expectancy and brought hope to their future, women still were not considered equal to a man. Women were discriminated against and didn’t play an important role in early American history. Generally, women had fewer legal rights and career opportunity than men because they were considered weak and not able to perform certain tasks. Different women came from different ethnic backgrounds and were all created equal in the eyes of men.

During the 19th century, women were considered to only be held working in the household rather than any form of labor work due to the fact that they were considered to be weak and unable to obtain certain powers as men. They were expected to maintain all chores within the house, and take care of their children. Women were not allowed to leave the house, unless approved by the husband, nor were they able to vote, and have an education. All in all, women had unequal rights to men. Now, why was it that women had unequal rights to men other than the fact that they were considered to be “weak?” It was assumed that if women had not yet similar