Last class, we were discussing the gender roles during the industrial revolution, and we began to read and discuss "Woman in Her Social and Domestic Character", a handbook of sorts instructing women of the time how to behave. It promoted a subservient lifestyle, one where women were dependent on their husbands and were strongly advised to act femininely. In the discussion, I remember a comment came up somewhere along the lines of " So did the industrial revolutions in a sense cause the '50s' image of woman?" In terms of a 50s woman, most of us imagine a housewife, pressured to be feminine and constantly take care of her family. She is repressed and her contributions to society are often ignored. This question got me thinking, and I think yes, in a sense it is true. Some may argue that prejudice towards woman had already existed for hundreds of years, but one could also say that the industrial revolution caused the major rifts in the gender roles of woman and men.
In a way, the industrial revolution (in its early stage) broadened opportunities for woman, bringing them out of the house and into the factories. Despite this, there was still gender separation in the workplace, with women and men doing different jobs. For example, women would do the spinning while men would do the weaving. As time progressed however, women and children began to stay at home leaving only the men to go to work. After reading the "Woman in Her Social and Domestic Character" I was even further convinced that the industrial revolution set the trajectory for the oppression of women. What do you think?
