Women During The 19th Century

Every generation has its minority that is actively fighting for change. For example: Today that is the gay/lesbian community which struggles for equal rights when it comes to tax, marriage or military service. During the 19th century it was a larger portion of the population; Women. During this time women and men were expected to fill different roles in society. Men were expected to be the bread winners, live public lives. Whether it be going to work or socializing in saloons/pubs/bars, while women were expected to live their lives home bound, taking care of the cooking, cleaning, and the rearing of children. Also Free time for women was not supposed to be spent socializing but rather doing other things that is related to the up keep of the family like laundry and mending clothes. This would in essence become known as a patriarchal society in which men were leaders in everything: politics, business, and women no matter what their race, or economic status was just possessions things
In 1874 the Women’s Christian Temperance Union(W.T.C.U.) was formed which was a women’s group with a “comprehensive program of economic reform including the right to vote.” (Foner, 63-64). Women from the group had to remind “Francis Willard, the group’s president,” to “abandon the idea that “weakness” and dependence were their nature and join assertively in movements to change society.” (Foner, 64). “During the progressive era, the working women –immigrants and native, working class and professional – became a symbol of female emancipation.” (Foner, 77). As such younger women who desired to have careers were going after then, which in turn change both the economy and family dynamics to much what it looks like