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Southern women during the civil war
Women in the 19th century
Woman from the 19th century compared to the woman of today
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The roles and expectations of women have varied through cultures as well as time, itself. Often some women held greater power and importance in governments whereas others hardly had a voice. As time has progressed, there have been many things that have changed for the female sex. However, there have also been many things that remained the same, including the fact that women in the 20th century had more advantages in health, involvement in war and politics, and legal rights. Firstly, the living rates for women getting out of the process of childbirth between 1800 and 1900 had been gradually going lower, especially due to advances in medicine, thus proving a higher advantage for women later on. Though it’s naturally expected for many deaths …show more content…
Often women’s bodies weren’t able to handle the strain of childbirth, or there were complications to which no solutions had yet been used regularly, such as the cesarean section. If it had not been the act of bringing a child into this world that brought death upon the mother, it would have been puerperal fever which “affected, on average, 6 to 9 women in every 1000 deliveries, killing 2 to 3 of them with peritonitis or septicemia” (Loudon). Modern science hadn’t yet reached the conclusion that this had been a simple bacterial infection, worsened by epidemics. During the 1800’s, it had become the most common cause of death in women after birth, being at fault for over 50% of mortalities. In contrast, the amount of women suffering through childbirth had fallen due to the popularization of the cesarean section at the end of the 1800’s and beginning …show more content…
Earlier in this essay there was information regarding the fact that one of the leading causes for death of women in the 19th century was the process of natural childbirth, however, “the second leading death among women remained fire” (Volo). It makes no sense at first, but due to the large amounts of fabric worn by women, and the fact that candle flame was one of the only sources of light, it tended to occur a lot. Among the few who tried to take the fashions of women into their own hands, mostly for safety issues, Amelia Bloomer was the one to speak out best. Having been a suffragette and an advocate for women’s rights, “she is best known for advocating a dress reform that included looser tops and short skirts with a pair of pants underneath” (“Amelia Bloomer”). It is clear to see that in any historical film or image that the outfits women wore were rather large and didn’t leave room for much movement. The ambition to change this was later put down with the arguments of the 4 virtues (domesticity, piety, purity, submissiveness) having been violated. In contrast, the women of the 20th century had more reign over what was worn. While previous fashions were restrictive and generally conservative, it was in the 1920’s that “women began to liberate themselves from constricting clothes for the first time and openly
The role of American women has changed significantly from the time the nation was born, to the modern era of the 1950s and 1960s. Many people, "... believed that women's talent and energies ... would be put to the better [use] in the new republic." (Clinton 3) Clearly showing that society has seen the importance of the women's talents and that their skills can be very useful, exploited this and thus, the change of the women's role was inevitable. Society has understood that the roles of women played an important role on all parts of life.
For as much as has been written about the crime of abortion and infanticide, equally much as been said against forced maternity, marital rape, and woman’s lack of control over her own body, all circumstances resulting in unwanted pregnancy and unwanted children. Such circumstances all stemmed from unique family, social, or health issues, with no one cause resulting in the abandonment of a child. A lack of knowledge about both sanitation and about women’s health resulted in the deaths of mothers during birth. General poverty and migration from farms to city centers made large families more difficult to support financially. Giving up a child because it could not be economically supported by its family was a common occurrence. As abortion became more stigmatized and criminalized, children who were the product of rape or wedlock were also abandoned. Deaths related to the Civil War also dramatically increased the numbers of orphaned children. Within the pages of The Revolution, it is asked: “Women who are in the last stages of consumption, who know that their offspring must be puny, suffering, neglected orphans, are still compelled to submit to maternity, and dying in childbirth, are their husbands ever condemned? Oh, no!” (2)
Hiding behind the idea of “restoring” one’s menses, abortion was practiced throughout colonial America. However, abortions weren’t fully considered to be so until after the quickening in pregnancy. Quickening was marked by when the baby would kick, so in a time when not that much was known about the female body quickening was the only thing that confirmed if a woman was pregnant or not. The opinion on abortifacients changed over time and was dependent on who was taking advantage of them. People seemed to be more concerned about the fact that abortions were used to cover up the sin of fornication in the 18th century, whereas in the 19th century the more pressing issue was the fact that married upper- and middle-class women were now using abortifacients just to avoid childbirth.
Many ancient laws and beliefs show that women from all around the world have always been considered inferior to men. However, as time went on, ideas of equality circulated around and women started to demand equality. Many women fought for equality and succeeded in bringing some rights. However, full equality for women has yet to be fulfilled. This issue is important because many women believe that the rights of a person should not be infringed no matter what their gender is, and by not giving them equality, their rights are being limited. During the periods 1840 to 1968, total equality for women did not become a reality due to inadequate political representation, economic discrepancy, and commercial objectification.
Today, nothing remains of the former social role of women. Nearly all professions are open to women. The numbers of women in the government and traditionally male-dominated fields have dramatically increased. More women than men earn bachelor’s degrees. Many women's groups still prevail and are major political forces. Although the two movements hoped to achieve different things and used different tactics, they still came together to gain women’s rights and have achieved more than anyone would have ever anticipated.
In the Early 1900s, health care was very limited to rural women. Adequate care and practice for childbirth was never heard of and often times performed by family members or even neighbors. It was said to be lucky if a child lived through the birth and even luckier if the child lived through their first birthday.
One hundred years ago, childbirth was much more dangerous than nowadays. In the book Superfreakonomics, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner indicated, “Nearly 2000 of the mothers, or 1 of every 10, died. In 1847, the situation worsened: 1 of every 6 mothers died from puerperal fever” (134). Doctors had no idea what caused puerperal fever and blame the women. A young doctor, Ignatz Semmelweis began to find the reason and finally, he found that male presence was responsible for the mothers’ deaths because of the remnants of the latest autopsy in the doctors’ hands. Semmelweis said, “None of us know, that we were causing the numerous deaths” (138). Like what Semmelweis thought, many people just focus on a single story – there is no fault of themselves and blame others. This wrong perspective leads doctors to deviate the correct reason and cause thousands of mothers died directly. Therefore, it’s important to avoid “a Single Story” because it will be failing to recognize the truth and lead to a mistaken
Imagine a world where there was a great chance of a mother dying right after giving birth to her child. Sounds like a pretty crazy supposition. Unfortunately, not too long ago, that was the world we called home. Nuland’s book discusses the unfortunate tragedies of puerperal fever and the journey the medical field in Europe took to discover a cause and prevention. Hand in hand, Nuland also depicts the life of Ignác Semmelweis, the unknown founder of the aforementioned cause and prevention strategies: washing hands in chloride of lime. The Doctors’ Plague is a worthwhile read based off the information provided, its ability to break new ground, and the credibility of its author and sources.
All surgical procedures including abortion were very risky in the 1800’s. The dangers from abortion were similar to the dangers from surgeries that were not out lawed. In the 1800’s the large amounts of women who needed abortions had no choice but to get them from illegal practitioners. Even when it was illegal abortion was practiced. For a women to get an abortion, safe or not it depended on her economic situation. In the 1960’s the people who performed the abortion turned away women if they could not pay $1,000 or more. Some of the male abortionist before performing th...
In the article on ‘Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Female Body in Early Modern Germany’, Rublack explores what it meant to be a women during these times and how a women could hold a certain power of authority when carrying a child. She also details the various methods that were used to ensure a safe childbirth and the standards that women were held to. She uses many cases to give examples of what happens when a mother did not follow the expectations set upon her by society or how miscarriages occurred due to externals shocks and factors.
The women on the trail, though it shows, had little time to care about mending clothes, “The majority of the overland women wore what clothing they had and prayed that what they wore would not tear. They were too preoccupied with the necessities of the day to consider fashion at all (Schlissel 105). ” I would be happy if I were these women because that just means one less chore that was their “duty” to perform. In conclusion, the woman of the Victorian Era had her role in life planned out from before she was born. Although it was a dreadful role, these women carried it out in a way that shows their purity of the heart and willingness to do so many things for others and for little return.
During the 1800s, society believed there to be a defined difference in character among men and women. Women were viewed simply as passive wives and mothers, while men were viewed as individuals with many different roles and opportunities. For women, education was not expected past a certain point, and those who pushed the limits were looked down on for their ambition. Marriage was an absolute necessity, and a career that surpassed any duties as housewife was practically unheard of. Jane Austen, a female author of the time, lived and wrote within this particular period. Many of her novels centered around women, such as Elizabeth Bennet of Pride and Prejudice, who were able to live independent lives while bravely defying the rules of society. The roles expected of women in the nineteenth century can be portrayed clearly by Jane Austen's female characters of Pride and Prejudice.
Death cases related to abortion at the time were also on the rise. Women performed these procedures traditionally without any medical background.
The women of the 19th century had a unique style, very little rights, and hard roles. The waistline was at the natural place. This made the clothes tighter. The skirt shaped to look like a bell. Many types of sleeves were found, but it was common to find long sleeves for night and short sleeves for daytime. Found underneath skirts were feather- quilted petticoats. They supported the skirt. Women would also wear some sort of hat. Outside, they would wear a bonnet; inside, they would wear linen caps. As the 19th century continued, decorations were added to hats. They included birds, feathers, or fake flowers. Also, as the century moved on, pads were worn in the back to support the skirt. For informal dressing, wearing a hat was required. Women could either wear a large- brimmed hat or a straw boater. Skirts were still down to their feet. Their hair was put into a bun either in the back or on top of the head (“Women’s Dress”). The clothes were made with the material of silk, wool, or cotton. Cotton was not used in colored clothing. It was usually woven or put into a pattern. Wool and silk were the opposite; they were colored. It was very rare to see these fabrics woven or in a pattern (“Material”). When the 19th century was around, women have very little rights. At this time, they could not vote nor could they have property or make their own earnings. When it came to divorcing, men took the kids; women were not allowed to have th...
A women's role has changed tremendously and is making its greatest impact in our society today. Many years ago, women's contribution to society was limited and controlled by men. Women are standing tall and are playing a major role in many important areas. Women's role has changed at an accelerating rate and have part in areas such as Politics, Professional Training Jobs, Medicine,Business and Law. Formerly they were not part of any political matter, but they have advanced in many aspects. For example, women have attained power and have been growing in political office.