E.L. Dubrow, author of Ragtime, addresses the changes of society during the Progressive Age through the characters in his book. The character that stood out the most to me was Mother. Mother's character strongly portrayed the changing viewpoints of women during this time as they gained more personal, psychological, and sexual freedom.
The status of women during the Progressive Era was rapidly changing. During this time it was unlikely for a married woman to work outside of the home. Mother very much represents the changing of the cultural norms during this era.
In the beginning of Ragtime, Mother respects Father and takes pride in her role as a wife and mother, but as time continues Mother's attitude changes. Things start to become different
...ultiple children which, as any parent will tell you, would’ve been more than a full-time job. One key point from “A Fourierist Newspaper Criticizes the Nuclear Family” that supports the assertion is the fact that not all women back then were fulfilled being a full-time homemaker, and desired more opportunities and rights than society allowed them to possess. Their desire to be more than a homemaker would often be completely ignored, though, so just like slaves of the period, they had no other option than to fulfill their societal role. One key point from “Woman in the Nineteenth Century” that supports the assertion is the fact that a women’s education would be primarily in the domestic and social spheres with only a minimal amount of proper education, showing that society considered them only to have enough intellectual capacity to be a domestic household servant.
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.
To understand the significant changes within the role of women, it’s important to look at the position women held in society prior to World War II. In a famously quoted ruling by the United States Supreme Court in a case denying a woman’s right to practice law, the following excerpt penned by the Honorable Joseph P. Bradley in 1873 sums up how women were perceived during that period of time by their male counterparts. Bradley declared, "The paramount destiny and mission of women are to fulfill the noble and benign offices of wife and mother -- this is the law of the Creator" . While many women may agree that the role of wife and mother is a noble one, most would certainly not agree this position would define their destiny.
The definition of the word “mother” according to the dictionary is “a female parent,” (“Mother,” 2011) but the way society views a mother is more. A mother isn’t simply a woman who gave birth to a child, but a woman who can raise, comfort, and care for their child. A mother’s job changes depending on what social standing they are in and what time they live in. Because of the different social classes and time periods of Daisy and Ma live in, their roles as the mother in the novels The Great Gatsby and The Grapes of Wrath greatly differ in their responsibility in their family, their treatment of their children, and their family morals, with Ma outshining Daisy as a true mother.
Motherhood is something that many slaves dealt with mainly when slaves were children having some type of relationship with their mother. Women had to be dedicated to their children because there seemed to be a survival of the fittest mentality. Mothers usually took on the role of caring for their children and also doing their jobs as slaves and u...
The Revolt of “Mother” by Mary E. Wilkens Freeman was published in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine in September 1890. The story describes gender roles that women, men and children were given. Women were to stay home to cook, clean, and to sew. Men on the other hand were sent out to work; they had all the power and decision-making. Children who were boys went to school, while children that were girls stayed home and sewed awaiting their marriage day. In the story, readers can tell men were more acknowledged and dominant because the author states mothers name as Sarah Penn only after talking about men being immovable, even though she herself was described like that in the beginning. If women went against a man or their husband in the 19th century, they were considered “insane, lawless, and rebellious” (Wilkins Freeman 207).
One factor of the Progressive Era was the making of Child Labor Laws. During this time, many children didn’t attend school because they were working 10-12 hours a day in mills and factories. Also, children as young as 8 years old were put to work to fit in smaller places adults couldn’t fit in. The results were that many of their lives were
“Women’s roles were constantly changing and have not stopped still to this day.” In the early 1900s many people expected women to be stay at home moms and let the husbands support them. But this all changes in the 1920s, women got the right to vote and began working from the result of work they have done in the war. Altogether in the 1920s women's roles have changed drastically.
Women's roles in society greatly changed after the growth of industry. Women who once were mere housewives and caring mothers now became an active part of the working class. They no longer stayed at home during the day taking care of their husband and children seeing to it that they acted properly and had high moral values instead. Wealthy women were privileged few who were able to stay at home and devote themselves totally to their families.
Roles for women in society have changed from century to century. There were centuries were women were put on a pedestal and were expected to obey their husband and if not they had to other means to provided for themselves, or more like the present century were women are just as equal as men and are independent as ever. There is a author by the name of Kate Chopin who lived in the times were women were expected to obey their husbands but had the mindset of a time, more like the present, were women could be more independent.
Women had crucial roles during the Progressive Era and made successful alterations to the nation during that time. Firstly, the women of the Progressive Era fought for a larger voice in politics, thus changed their roles in politics forever. Secondly. labor and working conditions tremendously changed for children and adults because of women's active roles with improving those conditions. Finally, women improved social conditions for their freedoms involving their health. Women during the Progressive Era were important to the improvement of America politically and socially.
The Progressive Era consisted of a movement for “reform that occured between 1900 and 1920. Many people beleived that irresponsible actions by the rich were coruppting both public and private life” (http://www.dictionary.com/browse/progressive-movement). Women played a major role in the success of the progressive movement by pushing for equality and to better the conditions of everyday life. The goal of women's suffrage was so hard to achieve because men generally held higher positions in government and social life and did not believe women were capable of handling the powers they were asking for. Although the Women's Suffrage Movement was strong, there were weaknesses within it.
Mama is a powerful, strong witted person. She has a lot of control in this play and dominates as a woman character. This is unusual because this is usually a male’s position in life. She is a woman, “who has adjusted to many things in life and overcome many more, her face is full of strength”. In this play she is illustrated as taking over for the head of the family and controls the lives of everyone in her house. Rules are followed to Mama’s extent. She controls what is said and done in her house. After Walter yells, “WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE LISTEN TO ME TODAY!” (70). Mama responds in a strong tone of voice saying, “I don’t ‘low no yellin’ in this house, Walter Lee, a...
The Progressive Era was a period of time when there were political and social views of different people. Before the Progressive Era, women didn’t have equal opportunities and rights as men. They had no voice that they can speak up and say whatever they wanted. Women were supposed to be Cult of Domesticity, when women were supposed to stay domestic and take care of their child. Women had no right to participate in political or social issues. They didn’t have equal opportunities as men through civil rights, education, employment, and political views. Women played significant roles during the Progressive Era reform from 1880-1920 through political and social conditions.
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...