There was a lot of sexist employers as most of them thought a ‘women’s place’ was in the home. Women faced a lot of discrimination against men if they were seen displaced in the field of work. Most women would be employed in Domestic Service which would include being maids and cleaners for higher class citizens who could afford servants. They would polish silver, wash and do normal household chores. Most women were brought up to support her husband and look after her home and children; her time was always contributed to her home.
Women were considered men’s property and they were expected to listen to all their commands. Even though in the 21st century it is not as strict as it was back then, Women are still expected to follow those expectation. In “I want a wife” she speaks on what is wanted from a husband. “I want a wife” explores how women are also counted upon to do domestic chores. As a wife and a mother they are supposed to clean, cook, make sure appointments are made, everything is organized and etc.
During that time it was expected of wives to care for all the home matters including taking care of the children. Minnie’s number one priority though, was to her husband. Anything he needed she was to do and many men expected their wives to be happy they had the privilege. Most of the time the wives had no say as to their lives or their family’s life, whatever the husband said, it was not to be questioned. Mrs. Hale tells the reader about Minnie’s life as a young woman who was attractive, colorful and creative.
Abigail Adams reminded her husband to not forget the women in the constitution which is significant because it was the beginning of women’s rights. Women also became more involved and interested in politics, to the distaste of most men. Many women followed their soldiers while at war and took care of the men. There were some women who acted in radical ways (ex. the New York City fire, riots, and letters), which hadn’t previously been so.
Daily routines and duties included running the house, looking after the family, working in the fields and spinning and weaving. Lower class women had jobs outside the home, these included working as midwives, shopkeepers and craft workers. As well as this, there were women slaves. Women also looked after their husbands and coped with their children. Girls in ancient Rome
Lucretia, the housewife of husband John Burnett, feels unappreciated and taken for granted while she maintains the house and raises their children. She spends her whole day “rearing...[her children]... and looking after her husband and the house” (King). This is the normal role of the housewife during the late 19th century. John Burnett worked on the construction of the railroads in town under the boss who would later steal his wife. Women in the Victorian era were dependent on their husbands financially and one third of all women in england still led a domestic housewife role (“Victoria’s Past”).
Change for these women showed them a new world of decent wages and rewarding satisfaction of providing for themselves. Tasting the life of independence and workforce life, these women had to help themselves to travel to work while taking care of the children and balancing work with their home duties. As their lifestyle began to change and they must now balance home life and work life as the gender roles began to change in America. As a step in the door towards equality between the gender roles, these new jobs have now been opened up to women who need to provide for their families in World War I. Until World War 1 ends and the husbands and males come home from duty, they women are forced back into home life to resume their jobs as homemakers.
Until recently, a woman was expected by society to mainly be a wife, a mother, and a homemaker. In Judy Brady’s essay “I Want a Wife”, she describes some of the things that are expected of a woman by a man. For example, when talking about what a man’s perspective of a woman’s role is Brady says, “I want a wife who is a good nurturant attendant to my children, who arranges for their schooling, makes sure that they have an adequate social life with their peers, takes them to the park, the zoo, ect.” (570). After explaining all of the various things that are expected of a woman, Brady sarcastically remarks, “My god, who wouldn’t want a wife?” The role played by a woman in today’s society has dramatically been reformed. Now day’s women are arranging for childcare for their children while they obtain fulltime jobs.
Nowadays, men and women have the same rights; they have the possibility to vote, the opportunity of choosing a career as well as the chance of working. Another point to consider is that in the past, women prepared daughters for life as a housewife or a mother. Having domestic training instead of having academic preparation that boys took. Women had to attend courses of study in order to be teachers, secretaries seamstresses or they simply stayed at homes to be housewives their whole lives while their husbands were working outside. However, this is completely different nowadays; there are lots of women who have successful careers as doctors, architects, engineers, lawyers, and many other jobs that used to be specifically for men.
Women played many roles in the civil war. They did not wait for the men in their lives to come home from the battlefield. Many women supported the war effort as nurses and aides, while others took a more upfront approach and secretly enlisted in the army or served as spies and smugglers. These new jobs delimitate their traditional roles as housewives and mothers and made them an important part of the war effort. Two of the important women in the civil war were, Clara Barton and Harriet Tubman.