Around the 1920s the new woman was the overarching term for what a woman could be in society, if women were able to break through the current societal norms. The new woman was independant, had the right to vote and was not confined to the home. Despite a large movement, there was push back not only from men, but also from women. Propaganda highlighted the negative conotations that come with this movement. Cartoons in newspapers depicted that the new women would degrade men making them take up their previous rolls in the home.
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3b44956/
This reaction demonstates that people tend to overreact, failing to see that change of power does not mean that the defending team will lose everything. There was a failure to understand that gender roles do not have to be fixed. The problem was not that women had to cook and clean but that these roles were forced upon them and at times veiwed as subserviant. Society was stuck with the mentality that there were only two distinct gender roles and they could not see how the two could overlap. The wash cartoon highlights the fear that people had that if women left their role men would have to automatically fill in that space.
Gilman's short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" demonstartes the percieved rigid social constructs for both men and women. John's forced captivity of the narrator is a metaphor that represents not only men's desire to keep women in domestic roles but also the boundaries that women had to overcome in order to become the new woman.
I definitely think that this topic ties back in with our discussion around Kirsty's current even today in class, being that people tend to think that if another group of people gains any type of power or rights, it takes away some power from the current dominant group. In my opinion, it is hard for people to grasp the idea of equality because we always think of things having to be one-sided or having a majority (which can be true in many cases). However, I wish this were not the case. I believe that an equal distribution of power among several different groups is possible and can be maintained.
ReplyDeleteI also think that the notion that men would have to take the roles of women in the 1920s if women took on the New Woman image asserts that women could not be versatile or were confined to either being solely a housewife or worker. There definitely is no indication that both men and women could both have a job as well as take care of domestic chores.
What I find most interesting about this is how it seems to still be a very relevant topic. While yes, many women are very successful, you typically do not think of them as "family women". It seems that even in this age, you are either domestic or you have a job, there is no chance for both. Despite the change over the years, there is still always 1 partner who is domestic and 1 partner with the "main job" who brings in the most money.
ReplyDeleteThough in terms of modern day stereotypes I think there is a certain truth to what Aubrey is arguing, I'm not sure I agree completely that society is still so divided. If there is statistical evidence for the assertion that "there is still always 1 partner who is domestic and 1 partner with the "main job" who brings in the most money." please post it!
ReplyDeleteBut here comes my own lacking-in-evidence view on the state of modern society: it is my impression that, in the majority of families in the United States, both the female and the male's incomes are crucial to the financial state of a family.
In terms of one partner being more "domestic" than the other, I'd love to poll the class on this one... does your mother or your father do most of the cooking? the laundry? the cleaning? In my house my father is by far the better cook (please nobody tell my mom I said that). Aside from chores, let's also consider family dynamics: My mother has the upper hand in most family decisions, whereas my father seems to give in more easily to whatever she decides.
I agree that gender equality is still a present issue in our country, but if other families are anything like mine, gender roles are certainly becoming very close to equal within the home, so it can only be a matter of time until that extends entirely throughout the workforce and other aspects of society.
I agree with Chelsea, this topic ties back to Kirsty's current event. The picture creates the notion that there will be a shift in power, where the women have the power and the men are at home. The picture also tells me that the people in power feel that there can't be equality, unless the poweerful give up their power.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Aubrey because of what she said that there is either one person in the household that is domesticated and the other is the main bread winner. I know alot of families where both of the parents work and when comes to the household duties they switch of every week or so. And now I feel like there are more stray at home dads and the mothers are going out and providing for the family.
I feel that one main reason people opposed and still oppose the 'New Woman' is because they think that the women want to become men. I believe that many people do not realize that the roles do not have to switch entirely, women do not have to become men and vice versa. In my opinion, a balance can be found where neither person has more power or contributes less than the other.
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