Domesticity in 19th Century White Middle Class America The nineteenth century marked a turning point for women in the United States. As men took work outside of the home women were left to cultivate a place that could serve as a haven from the harsh outside world. This change created a domestic sphere ru d by women; it paramounted from simple household organization to matters involving moral and religious responsibility, health, education, and social duty. Women found power in their new role; they found equality with their male counterparts without com ting against them. The industrial revolution changed the way Americans worked. Men pursued jobs outside of the home. They performed hard labor such as; mining, construction, factory work, and various civil appointments. Most of the day was spent away from the comforts f a home. This shift transformed the home into a haven from the demands of the outside world. The home set the mood for the dynamics of the family. It served as an influence upon it's members and was a reflection of the harmony that existed between t m. Women found themselves with the responsibility of making the home into a "glorious temple" (Sklar 151) where her family could thrive. A home was the symbol which defined a family. The cleanliness, decor and mood that a home displayed told the economic and religious status of a family. Middle class women did not have servants and most did not have any outside help; leaving them to m age the household alone. This could be and overwhelming task in an era without the technological advancements of today. The idea of the home having such a profound impact on the family brought about a movement towards housing reform. An abundance of material w... ... middle of paper ... ...long with their psychological ones. Women went to these spa like places sometimes for months at a time. During their stay they were doused with the healing pow s of hydopathy in many ways. They were wrapped in wet towels, took steam treatments, and were required to drink gallons of water (Sklar 185). The water cure also served as a place were women could talk freely about thier health problems and educate ea other. Domesticity for the white middle class woman during the nineteenth century reform opened many doors for women. The success of moral reform is not as important as it's accomplishment of tapping into the energies of women in the emerging middle class. men were able to finally articulate heir frustration and aspirations. The achievements of this time was a precedent for other movements and for women's continued activism following generations.
Radek, Kimberly M. "Women in the Nineteenth Century." Women in the Nineteenth Century. N.p., 21 Apr. 2008. Web. 01 Mar. 2014.
...suburban home ownership, they were homeward bound. But, as the years went by, they also found themselves bound to the home." (May p.207)
but this was the best they could do. The search for effective treatments was hindered by the church as they believed that religion was the cure for the sick. The believe that Saints could cure by touch
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.
For over centuries, society had established the societal standard of the women. This societal standard pictured the ideal American woman running the household and taking care of the children while her husband provided for the family. However, between 1770 and 1860, this societal standard began to tear at the seams. Throughout this time period, women began to search for a new ideal of American womanhood by questioning and breaking the barriers society had placed upon them.
As many women took on a domestic role during this era, by the turn of the century women were certainly not strangers to the work force. As the developing American nation altered the lives of its citizens, both men and women found themselves struggling economically and migrated into cities to find work in the emerging industrialized labor movement . Ho...
time and effort of taking care of a house. Due to this and multiple feminist movements, women
Thesis Statement: Men and women were in different social classes, women were expected to be in charge of running the household, the hardships of motherhood.
A huge part of the economical grow of the United States was the wealth being produced by the factories in New England. Women up until the factories started booming were seen as the child-bearer and were not allowed to have any kind of career. They were valued for factories because of their ability to do intricate work requiring dexterity and nimble fingers. "The Industrial Revolution has on the whole proved beneficial to women. It has resulted in greater leisure for women in the home and has relieved them from the drudgery and monotony that characterized much of the hand labour previously performed in connection with industrial work under the domestic system. For the woman workers outside the home it has resulted in better conditions, a greater variety of openings and an improved status" (Ivy Pinchbeck, Women Workers and the Industrial Revolution, 1750-1850, pg.4) The women could now make their own money and they didn’t have to live completely off their husbands. This allowed women to start thinking more freely and become a little bit more independent.
Balls, formal dinners, and social gatherings dominate people’s view of the nineteenth century. Upper-class women lived a life of splendor and grandeur, and the white, gentle hands of those women hardly lifted to do any work. Most would strive to attain such a life because of its outward appearance; however, masked behind the smiles and parties, suppression ran high. Men dominated their households, and they repressed their wives. Life did not live up to the expectation of many women as they struggled against the controlling and authoritative male figures in their lives.
In the early 1800's, women were seeking jobs either inside or outside of the home as they took upon the role of providing for their families. While men were normally the main breadwinners of middle and upper-class families, women still made an impact, either by sewing, knitting, or routinely assisting their husband with agricultural labor or privately owned businesses. By the mid nineteenth-century, however, the role of women drastically changed into what is known as the Cult of Domesticity. Instead of assisting with family income, women played a limited role in
back into the home and made to return to rolls of housewife and mother. This battle of
The house has at times been a symbol of women’s roles, between 1944 and 1982 the relationship women had with the house changed. This relationship change is indicative of the changing times and the role women played in the house, in the family, and in society. The influence that I believe initiated these changes fall into three themes: 1. The marriage relationship and outside paid work, 2. Education and its impact on femininity, and 3. Technology and its impact on domesticity. The three themes address issues that women navigated as society changed as their roles in the home and outside of the home changed. I will briefly address each theme and then delve into the relationship between marriage and work outside of the home.
Women had a much different role in the late nineteenth century than they do in this day and age. The role of the wife was to be subservient to the men, and to bear children to carry on his name. Husbands dictated their wives everyday activities. It wasn’t widely accepted that women had a say in what happened in society. It was highly frowned upon for a woman to entertain the idea of taking up a profession. It was male-dominated and women were basically their just to clean up the mess, in men’s eyes. The theme of male oppression onto women causing them to seek freedom, is very prevalent in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s, The Yellow Wallpaper, and in Kate Chopin’s, A Story of an Hour.
Then there was the woman’s movement and women felt they deserved equal rights and should be considered man’s equal and not inferior. The man going out to work, and the wife staying home to care for the home and the children would soon become less the norm. This movement would go on to shape the changes within the nuclear family. Women deci...