Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Who knew a woman told to never pick up a pen or pencil again would become one of the most influential authors of all time? Medical practices of this time and the mistreatment of women, led a doctor to prescribe just that. She was a prominent social activist and theorist of the women's movement at the turn of the century, primarily during the naturalist time period in the 1870’s. She examined the role of women in society and presented her social theories in her many works such as What Diantha Did, Moving a Mountain, and His Religion and Hers. Throughout all of her works, you can see her support for women’s rights and equality of the sexes. Gilman’s writing was influenced by social reform and the Women’s Rights Movement. …show more content…
The 1890’s were a period of intense political debate and economic challenges, with the Women’s Movement seeking the vote and other reforms. Women were entering the workforce in swelling numbers, seeking new opportunities, and shaping new definitions of themselves. It was near the end of this tumultuous decade that Gilman’s very popular book, Women and Economics emerged. Women slowly came to realize that if they wanted to be effective social reformers, they must first acquire legal rights. According to History, Art & Archives, “The first gathering devoted to women’s rights in the United States was held July 19–20, 1848, in Seneca Falls, New York”. Thus, the Women's Rights Movement was born. In its early years, the movement's primary goal was obtaining women's suffrage, or the right to vote. This allowed women to be a part of something that would help bring about change and give them a voice. The Women’s Right’s Movement focused mainly on achieving the right to vote and worked towards that goal endlessly. However, all in all, this movement was truly about gaining equality. It was about making women and men be viewed the same way in society. According to Golden, “Gilman lived at a time when women …show more content…
American women became involved in this movement in greater numbers than ever before. According to The Women’s Rights Movement, ”They participated in the struggle to abolish slavery, the battle to outlaw alcohol (known as the temperance movement), the effort to ban child labor, and several other missions”. Women were very passionate about this movement and dedicated as much of their time as possible, with whatever they could help with. According to The Women’s Rights Movement, “To their disappointment, however, they found that their roles in reform organizations were quite restricted”. With their place in society as women, they couldn’t bring about the change they truly wanted. What change was going to happen if nobody ever took into consideration what they had to say? A famous author of this time that inspired Gilman, Edward Bellamy, also had plenty to say about equality and peace between the sexes. In his story, Looking Backward, the main character of the story wakes up from a hypnotic sleep in the year 2000, to find he is living in a socialist utopia where people co-operate rather than compete. This clearly influenced Gilman’s story Herland, which “investigates problematic characteristics of American society in the early part of the 20th century by presenting her readers with an alternative vision of a perfect society” (Califano). The story is
Who knew a woman told to never pick up a pen or pencil again would become one of the most influential authors of all time? Medical practices of this time and the mistreatment of women, led a doctor to prescribe just that. She was a prominent social activist and theorist of the women's movement at the turn of the century, primarily during the naturalist time period in the 1870’s. She examined the role of women in society and presented her social theories in her many works such as What Diantha Did, Moving a Mountain, and His Religion and Hers. Throughout all of her works, you can see her support for women’s rights and equality of the sexes. Gilman’s writing was influenced by social reform and the Women’s Rights Movement. …show more content…
The 1890’s were a period of intense political debate and economic challenges, with the Women’s Movement seeking the vote and other reforms. Women were entering the workforce in swelling numbers, seeking new opportunities, and shaping new definitions of themselves. It was near the end of this tumultuous decade that Gilman’s very popular book, Women and Economics emerged. Women slowly came to realize that if they wanted to be effective social reformers, they must first acquire legal rights. According to History, Art & Archives, “The first gathering devoted to women’s rights in the United States was held July 19–20, 1848, in Seneca Falls, New York”. Thus, the Women's Rights Movement was born. In its early years, the movement's primary goal was obtaining women's suffrage, or the right to vote. This allowed women to be a part of something that would help bring about change and give them a voice. The Women’s Right’s Movement focused mainly on achieving the right to vote and worked towards that goal endlessly. However, all in all, this movement was truly about gaining equality. It was about making women and men be viewed the same way in society. According to Golden, “Gilman lived at a time when women …show more content…
American women became involved in this movement in greater numbers than ever before. According to The Women’s Rights Movement, ”They participated in the struggle to abolish slavery, the battle to outlaw alcohol (known as the temperance movement), the effort to ban child labor, and several other missions”. Women were very passionate about this movement and dedicated as much of their time as possible, with whatever they could help with. According to The Women’s Rights Movement, “To their disappointment, however, they found that their roles in reform organizations were quite restricted”. With their place in society as women, they couldn’t bring about the change they truly wanted. What change was going to happen if nobody ever took into consideration what they had to say? A famous author of this time that inspired Gilman, Edward Bellamy, also had plenty to say about equality and peace between the sexes. In his story, Looking Backward, the main character of the story wakes up from a hypnotic sleep in the year 2000, to find he is living in a socialist utopia where people co-operate rather than compete. This clearly influenced Gilman’s story Herland, which “investigates problematic characteristics of American society in the early part of the 20th century by presenting her readers with an alternative vision of a perfect society” (Califano). The story is