Treatment of women during the late 19th century?

Question

I am writing an essay about the treatment of women during the late 19th century. It is mainly about their role in society in the U.S. What are some vital things that you think should be included in my essay? Any key people, events, or anything at all that you find interesting that I should include. What is a good opening sentence for my essay? I just need a few ideas and quick facts to get going, Thanks!

Answer 1

The feminist movement (also known as the Women's Movement or Women's Liberation) is a series of campaigns on issues such as reproductive rights (including abortion), domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, sexual harassment, and sexual violence.

Answer 2

The late 19th century was a time when employment opportunities for women expanded greatly.  A third of all government jobs were done by women by 1900.  More and more women were employed in offices, three-quarters of the nation's stenographers and typists were women by 1900.  The new department stores employed large numbers of women as sales clerks, about 142,000 by 1900.  Women were employed as telephone switchboard operators, and made inroads into library work.  Women in all walks of life were generally paid less than men, women teachers earned a lot less than men for instance.  

some women made a name fo rthemselves in journalism, like Nellie Bly, a reporter for the new york World, who was on the front page regularly with what the papers then called 'Stunt' journalism, an infant version of investigative reporting.  Nly got herself committed to an insane asylum, posed as a homeless woman, and insterted herself into the new York demimonde as a way of exposing conditions in the city's jails and hospitals.

Most working women were single, it was customary for women to give up work when they married.  Working after marriage was something you generally only did if you were very poor.  Staying at home and raising the children was not at that time seen as a degrading occupation for women as it later became.   Poor married women often took in washing or sewing, or sometimes they kept boarding houses.

Indoor plumbing became more common in the later part of the 19th century, making life somewhat easier for housewives.  Housework was much harder on account of the lack of labour saving devices.  Washing had to be done by hand, so sending your clothes to a laundry was popular if you could afford it.  Women who could afford servants generally had them to help with the housework, or if they were rich enough, to do it all.

Women started going to college in about 1870, and by 1880 there were 42,000 female students at college, about a third of the student population at that time.  College for girls became so popular that the ladies Home Journal ran a contest to sell subscriptions in 1890, the prize was a scholarship to Vasser.

A lot of women were actively involved in social reform, some women were involved in the Women's Suffrage movement, and many more in the Temperence movement.  Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony dominated the women's suffrage movement throughout the second half of the 19th century.  Jane Addams started the Settlement House movement in 1889, in Chicago, providing housing for the poor, and starting anursery school, organizing women's clubs, lecture series, and art exhibits.  By 1900 there were 100 settlement houses in the USA.

Women's clubs became extremely popular during this period, women of all kinds would get together to discuss literature, history, and current affairs.  there were about 5,000 local organizations in the General Federation of Women's Clubs by the turn of the century, and that was only a tiny fraction of the total number of groups that were scattered about the United States.

Bicycling became a major craze at the end of the 19th century with both sexes, and for the first time it became acceptable for women to show their legs, at least while cycling.  Outdoor games like croquet, tennis, and archery were popular because they could be played by both sexes.

Answer 3

Are you looking for info on the US, UK or some other country?

During this period many women were actively involved in creating labor unions, since a large number of factory jobs were held by women.  It's a little late for this period (1912, I believe), but the Triangle Shirt Waist Fire was a good example of why women were fighting for unions at the time.

Answer 4

You might mention the women's suffragette movement and the issue of discussing birth control.