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In Kate Chopin's "Story of an Hour" a young woman in the late 1800's named Louise Mallard, suffers from a heart condition. She is sympathetically informed by her sister, Josephine, that her husband, Brentley Mallard, has died in a tragic railroad accident. "Louise has loved her husband, who has in turn loved her and treated her kindly…" (Rosenblum 41). Ironically, once she hears this unfortunate news, she feels free from Brentley instead of sad that he has passed away. While her sister believes that she is too grieved to come down stairs, Mrs. Mallard locks herself in her room and embraces this liberty of "her life being her own again; no longer will she have to yield to her husband's wishes" (41). Josephine repeatedly knocks on Mrs. Mallard's bedroom door. She wants to comfort her widowed sister in this time of uncertainty. Mrs. Mallard finally opens the door and walks down stairs with her sister. Once at the end of the steps, Brentley Mallard, unknowing that his close friends and family believe that he is dead, walks through the door. Mrs. Mallard is in shock to see her husband and falls dead. The doctors that examine her say that she died from a weak heart that "could not bear the sudden joy" (41).
This story raises many questions about women in the late 1800's. Why did Mrs. Mallard feel so trapped in her marriage? Could she have escaped her marriage and still be respected in society? What were the options for marriage, divorce, and work for Mrs. Mallard? Unlike the era of Mrs. Mallard's character, women's roles and responsibilities have transformed. Because of ladies like Mrs. Mallard, women decided to stand up and fight for the same rights and roles men have always maintained-to have a successful career, be independent, and vote. Today, women are no longer pressured to be married by the age of twenty-one. They are urged to establish their career before getting married and having children. What caused our society to change its view on women? The roles and rights of women in the early twentieth century, the Suffrage and Feminism Movement, and how women are looked upon today will explain the progression of feminism since the late 1800's.
Women started fighting for their rights in employment as early as the late 1800's. "In 1870 about 15 percent of women over sixteen years of age were regularly employed away from home for wages; by 100 the figure had risen to 0 percent" (Banner 6). Although women were working and even being taught "skills such as typing and stenography…[and] start[ed] to dominate professions like nursing and technology" 80 percent of women still did not work (6). According to Louis W. Banner in Women in Modern America A Brief History only 5 percent of married women in 100 were "employed outside the home." While there was an economic push for women to enter into the workforce, culturally American society was not ready for it. "Most Americans shared the conviction that [a] woman's place was at home, supported by men, raising children, keeping house, and bolstering [a] stable family life" (Woloch 1).
Theodore Roosevelt wrote at the turn of the century "If the women do not recongnise that the greatest thing for any woman is to be a good wife and mother, why that nation has cause to be alarmed about its future" (qtd. in Woloch 1). Not only did women face cultural animosity towards them in employment, but if they did choose and was allowed by their husbands to work, they were usually underpaid. They were not able to make enough money for living expenses. ( ). If a woman chose to pursue a professional field of employment, discrimination was a major factor contributing to her not accomplishing her dream career. ( ) Of all women professionals, ...schoolteachers suffered overt discrimination...School boards usually refused employment to married teachers and demanded that a woman resign when she married (Van Horn ).
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Employment was not a major role represented by women; marriage "was a natural goal of life and adolescence was time of preparation for it" (Banner 47). For the middle-class, women were expected "to marry, to have children, [and] to obey their husbands" (47). Although many women did marry because it was expected of them, men and women did not posses the same rights in marriage. Before Mrs. Mallards era statute law had always discriminated against wives. In all states, married women remained possessions, rather than persons, under law (Woloch 11). By the 1840s some progress had been made to equalize the rights of women and men in marriage. In 1848 a minimal bill was passed by the New York legislature. It gave women the right to retain control over their real and personal property... (11).
Although women were given more rights in marriage, divorce was frowned upon by society at the turn of the century. Conservative views dominated. Ironically, in the 180s divorces rose at a noticeable rate ...attitudes hardened and a variety of steps were taken to arrest the spread of divorce. Many states tightened up their divorce laws (George 14). During the late 100s, most demands for divorce came from women... (Woloch 74). These women were not rebelling against marriage but rather against mates who failed to meet traditional ideals such as fail[ing] to support them, [making] them [enter] into the workforce, or violat[ing] the purity of the domestic life by drinking [and] gambling... (Woloch 74). Both Protestants and Catholics, attempted to secure uniform divorce laws...in hopes that uniformity would reduce the divorce rate (George 15). Their argument centered on that family was the foundation of civilized life and must not be destroyed by divorce... (15).
Because women were not given the same rights and opportunities as men, the Suffrage and Feminism Movement began. After the Civil War (1861-1865) many womens organizations formed. At first, the National American Womens Suffrage Association (NAWSA) was lightly considered as a threat to equality among the sexes (Banner 88), and the media hardly recognized this growing womens movement (). The Suffrage and Feminism Movement not only fought for the rights of women to vote (this is what unified the womens organizations) but it also fought for womens independence and equality (87).
Feminist and reformers were aware of a wide range of problems women encountered in a modernizing America, and they moved in many ways to confront them. Never before or since have so many women belonged to so many womens organizations; not until the 160s was feminism again so vigorous. (Banner 88)
Although womens organizations were growing at a rapid rate, this did not lessen their opposition. Men as well as women formed anitsuffrage associations usually in states where the Suffrage Movement was predominant. Opponents of suffrage consistently asserted that the sexes had different functions... (Woloch 7). Since the role of the women was in the home, the anisuffragist believed that if women were allowed to vote that this would disrupt the household because they might vote differently than their husbands. A southern Congress representative said in a 117 debate said that giving the vote to women would disrupt the family, which is the unit of society, and when you disrupt the family, you destroy the home, which is the foundation of the Republic (8). The National Association Opposed to the Further Extension of Suffrage to Women
gained political support from three powerful groups the liquor industry, which was afraid that suffrage...would bring prohibition; the political bosses, who were fearful that women would vote for reform politicians; and the Catholic Church, which...believed that a womens place was in the home. (Banner 88)
Hysterical anitsuffragist believed that a woman voting was against nature." Pregnant women might lose their babies, nursing mothers their milk, and women in general might grow beards... (0).
The opposition did not stop women from eventually gaining the right to vote. Although the womens suffrage amendment was introducduced to Congress in 18 it had lain dormant in both houses (1).In 110 a group of suffragist leaders marched and rallied in New York state (10). This caused America to awaken to this controversial issue concering womens right to vote. By 117, Alice Paul, an active participant in the British suffrage movemnet that founded the Congressional Union, participated along with the Womens Party in an around-the-clock picketing of the White House (1-1). Although these women were arrested and jailed, this issue finally received national press coverage that embarrassed the [White House] administration by exposing the harshness of their treatment... (14). It was not until August 18, 10 that all these efforts finally paid off. The Nineteenth Amendment, allowing women suffrage, was finally passed and became law (14).
Although women had won their first major victory for equality of the sexes in 10, women still had many obstacles to overcome. Today women are considered more equal to men than ever before.
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