The Changing Role Of Women During The Industrial Revolution

Throughout human history, the role of women in society has changed dramatically. For decades, women’s contribution to society was limited by what their fathers or husbands would see fit for them. Women’s lives were expected to be filled with domestic issues like childbirth, childcare, cooking, cleaning, and other “female tasks”. But over time, instead of being simply a housewife who lives and breathes under the man’s rule, now women were becoming heavily present and essentially vital in the workplace. But that came with much resistance from men and occasionally from some women who stood by the cult of domesticity. Slowly, women became a dominating force in occupations and roles that were previously deemed only for men.
During the Industrial …show more content…
Although the Revolutions of 1848 were thought to change history, Marxist writers felt it had done nothing to further women’s place in society. Unless they could hire private tutors, women received little formal education. The cult of domesticity was still an essential role in women’s lives during the revolutions. Failing to get married by the age of 30, women became known as spinsters and shipped to overseas colonies. Even after the industrial revolution, many women were in the workforce but some were trying to push women back into the home life which set the stage for the Cult of Domesticity. In this system, the middle and upper classes believed that since men were busy working, women should focus on cultivating a home that is comforting and nurturing for their working husbands, and a place of refuge. Books on how to live a life like this were created, like Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management in 1861, which became one of the best selling books of the century. A mother and wife herself, Isabella Beeton, provided recipes and helpful tips on running and proper household throughout this book. Each and every decision a woman might make was meticulously talked about and advice was often given. For example, “In purchasing articles of wearing apparel, whether it be a silk dress, a bonnet, shawl, or riband, it is well for the buyer to consider three things: I. That is be not too expensive for her pise. II. That its colour harmonize with her complexion, and its size and pattern with her figure. III. That its tint allow of its being worn with the other garments she possesses.” (Backman 125).Then, she goes on to provide instructions on when “morning calls and visits may made and received” (Backman 125). and then how these must be divided, “those of ceremony, friendship, and congratulation or