The Domestic Sphere

The 1840s and 1850s
In the 1840s and 50s women were expected to stay at home and take care of the housework. One of popular publications of the time was the Godey's Lady Book in which editor Sarah Josepha Hale talked about how men had to engage in necessary and often unethical, business practices and public affairs and women had to act as moral keepers of their home and family. She often portrayed Queen Victoria as a role model of femininity, morality and intellect. 

There was a variety of women’s literature at the time which preached that women must do everything possible to preserve the proper way of spouses and children in particular, as well as of American citizens in general. Women were believed to be domestic creatures. There were even schools that trained women to work as teachers before marriage and to serve as homemakers afterwards. 

Changes In Attitudes 

Women have come a long way from this early bias. There is no longer a general thinking that women shouldn’t be in the workplace because they have to be at home with the kids. Today women no longer have to be stay at home moms. Their only priorities do not fully consist of making sure the housework is done and that their husbands or children are taken care of. There are now many women in the work force and having successful careers. Jonathan House writes about how women are recovering jobs more quickly than men from the latest recession:

A record 67.5 million women are working today, up from the prior peak of 67.4 million in early 2008, according to the Labor Department's latest tally of payrolls that captured the full rebound for the first time. By comparison, 69 million men currently have jobs, below their high of 70.9 million in June 2007.

http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/

Men lost more than six million jobs in the recession and its aftermath. Women lost 2.7 million jobs. Women are now taking jobs in education, health and hospitality and retail, they’re able to expand their career choices and their opportunity in life. 

Taking The Next Step

Women are finally taking more prominent positions in our society. Hillary Clinton recently served as the Secretary of State and is a likely front runner for the next presidential election. This is after Sarah Palin was a recent nominee for the Republican Vice President. Back in the 1830s this would not have been something women could imagine to be possible. Although women have came a long way they still have some struggles to overcome such as gender bias in the work place and income inequality. In some work places women get paid 77 cents for every dollar that their co workers make. Many business places are more in favor of men working for them than women. In the years to come hopefully women will be acknowledged for their work abilities and be treated equally with men.

Works Cited

Catalyst. Quick Take: Statistical Overview of Women in the Workplace. New York: Catalyst, 

     March 3, 2014.

 

"Godey’s Lady’s Book." Accessible Archives Inc., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.

House, Jonathan. "Women Reach a Milestone in Job Market." The Wall Street Journal. 

     Dow Jones & Company, 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.

Waber, Ben. "What Data Analytics Says About Gender Inequality in the Workplace."  

     Bloomberg Business Week. Bloomberg, 30 Jan. 2014. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.