Theory Of The Leisure Class

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Women and Economics and Thorsten Veblen's, The theory of the Leisure class, were two of the most powerful examples at an attempt to explain the social and gender inequalities that have followed mankind. Both Perkins and Veblen sought to enlighten the men and women of their modern world on the social and gender injustices that are inhibiting the further development of a progressive society. Perkins and Veblen were painfully aware of the, "widespread unawareness to social inequalities" (Bobock, 2004), that had been so ingrained into the hearts and minds of modern humans, that people had become blind to the severity of the injustices. Women had become little more than pack animals living to serve their masters and or

The leisure class will forever blindly chase this notion of wanting and having more and thus will forever be envious of what they don't have. This chase of perfection falls heavily on the wife as she is expected to upkeep this the honorable and envious image of her family as her husband provides economics means to do so. This system is ineffective and degrading as women create this cycle of showing their daughters how to please and honor their husbands and maintaining whatever image is most pleasing to him. Veblen alludes more to the blindness of the leisure class,"…but the taste to which these effects of household adornment and tidiness appeal is a taste which has been formed under the selective guidance of a canon of propriety that demands just these evidences of wasted effort. The effects are pleasing to us chiefly because we have been taught to find them pleasing."(Veblen, 1899), as they push so much of this demand for image perfection onto the women, and make these standards of living that seem so normal, unobtainable to so much of the working class. With this leisure class Perkins shows there is still this subservient relationship with women, "From the day laborer to the millionaire, the wife's worn dress or flashing jewels, her low roof or her lordly one, her weary feet or her rich equipage,-these speak of the economic ability of the husband." (Perkins, 1898), as they are held directly responsible as a beacon to the world of their husband/ "masters" (Perkins, 1898), wealth and prowess. This social norm that was created surrounding wifely duties within the leisure class is another crippling factor to the progression of a healthy an successful society. True change will start with emulation, kids will see and do what their parents say and will need strong feminine and male role models to teach