Women's Roles In The 19th Century

How far have women come since the early 19th century? Women have made a lot of progress in the past 200 years. Today, women are able to hold jobs and vote which was unheard of in the 1800s. Women have the freedom to be themselves and speak up, they now have a voice, and it's a voice that can be heard by all. But even today, women still aren't exactly equal to men. Think, what would happen if their freedoms got revoked? How would that change the roles of women today? In the early 19th century, gender roles were a common theme expressed throughout the works of many writers. Authors Jane Austen and Mary Wollstonecraft demonstrated the specter of sexes by showing how it drastically limited the lives of women during this time. Before this time, authors didn't write about the harsh realities of life. During the late 1700s to mid 1800s Britain was experiencing drastic changes as a result of the French Revolution and many authors turned to literature to express themselves. The main topics discussed throughout the authors works were nature, radical change, women’s rights, and industrialism. Since numerous authors were writing about the same controversial topics taking place in society, it became known as the Romantic Period. Romanticism opened the door to expose the injustices that some women faced through factors beyond their control. These controversial topics gave authors a reason to write so their voices could be heard by people who were sharing the same feelings but had no way to convey them, especially women. Women …show more content…
certainly," cried his faithful assistant, "no [woman] can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but