Roles Of Women In The 19th Century Essay

In the 19th century the American view on women became clear. Many people began to write about the role of a woman and things the woman should be able to do. The cult of domesticity is one of the main outlines of the roles of a woman. It goes into the image of the ideal woman, a woman’s proper place in society, and lists some writings that will reinforce the cult of domesticity. It also goes into the four main principles that make up a true woman. The four main principles are stated as piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. These views will not be accepted in modern times but in the 19th century this was the only way a woman should be looked upon. Many people tried to make sense of this gender role. They gave reasons such as women were …show more content…
This submissive aspect was what defined what women should be spending their time doing. The women were supposed to cook, clean and stay home with the kids in this time frame. This is the century were stay at home moms were very popular. The man was supposed to go out to work and bring back money for the families while woman was suppose to obtain a steady household. The men were supposed to be able to come home to a hot meal being prepared for him and a clean home. This definition on a woman’s role is still present in modern times. Some woman would like to be seen as equal but also aspire to have the “traditional” family. This is what caused a divide between a feminism and woman-ism. Feminism is defined as the advocacy of women 's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. Woman-ism is defined as believing in and respecting the abilities and talents of women; acknowledging women 's contributions to society. Woman-ism allows woman to still be submissive to their husband but getting respect for what they were doing instead of being looked down upon. Feminism was women fighting for the right to vote and having the same roles as a man or at least being able to do the same thing as a