What Does Gilman Mean By Keeping Personal Her Husband?

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Through a complex interplay of history, culture, and power, gender roles in human society have been woven into the fabric of our existence, creating patterns that are both overt and covert. Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a pioneering feminist theorist who questioned traditional gender norms in an effort to understand the reasons behind the oppression and exploitation of women, sheds light on how restrictive gender roles can be, promoting women's independence and equal rights in both the home and society. In her writings, Gilman provides a strong criticism of conventional marriage and home life, promoting the idea of women having control over their own lives and economic independence (economics). Gilman suggests that the idea of keeping personal …show more content…

Gilman argues that humans are unique in that the female relies on the male for survival, and suggests that this dynamic must evolve in order for the humans to thrive (economics). The phrase “personal is political” is commonly linked with second-wave feminism, and it suggests that personal experiences, especially regarding gender, are inherently connected to political issues and represent larger societal power dynamics and norms (lecture). Gilman's understanding of this idea underscores the link between personal experiences, such as those in the home, and broader social forces, this slogan implies that matters typically considered private, like women's roles in the home, are not just personal concerns, but are closely connected to larger systems of power and discrimination and oppression which can come from well meaning institutions and partners (lecture). In traditional marriages, there was a clear division between the public and private spheres, with men controlling the public realm and women managing the home. It is commonly believed that issues within the home should be kept …show more content…

It is also found that men make higher wages in all categories of jobs, including those that are predominantly female-dominated (article). Gilman focused on how women are oppressed by societal structures, which limited them to domestic roles or as objects desired by men (lecture). She frequently criticised how women were financially reliant on men, drawing parallels to how women's bodies are exploited for economic purposes in advertising today (lecture). Gilman would probably criticise the tendency to reduce women to just their looks for sexual attractiveness, as it promotes the belief that women are merely objects intended for male enjoyment and use, suggesting that a woman's worth is mostly determined by how well she meets men's expectations and beauty standards. Gilman argues in her contribution to the sameness versus difference debate on gender equality that it is important to recognize both the similarities and differences between genders, without using these differences as a justification for inequality

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