Gender Roles in 19th Century America

The first of a series on gender, family, and society...

In the 19^th century the growth of industry was primarily in urban centers, in particularly the northeastern parts of the United States. Seven out of ten people in the United States lived in small towns with populations under 2500 or on farms in 1870[1]. Despite where you lived, be it rural or urban, the lives of men and women and men were guided by a set of social rules that only varied slightly by geography and class. The spheres of men and women were greatly divided both outside and within the home.

The idea of spate sphere emerged in Victorian society with the start of the industrial revolution.  Prior to the industrialization of the Western world men and women worked side-by-side and their workplace mostly revolved around the home. When industrialization arrived men, and some unmarried young women, left the home to work in the mills and factories. There were also social beliefs that women and men are naturally suitable for different social roles due to their biological and genetic makeup[2]. There social and biological beliefs carried over to the legal world. Legal prohibitions against woman’s suffrage, against women undertaking professions like medicine and law, and discouragement from obtaining higher education. 

Men and women each had their place in society. In most social situations the spheres of men and women were separate. There were lounges for men and lounges for women, gentlemen’s clubs, men’s work and women’s work, and all were divided by gender. Cultural and social attitudes built ideas of womanhood and manhood, proper womanhood and manhood, and that empowered and constrained women and men. 

The Cult of Domesticity

Middle-class American women in the 19^th century saw their behavior regulated by a social system cult of domesticity, which limited their sphere of influence to home and family. The Cult of Domesticity was designed for the wives and daughters of the men who made up America’s white, middle and upper class power structure[3]. The purpose of this code was to provide social regulations for middle-class families with newly acquired wealth and leisure. The roles of wives and mothers were to cultivate Piety, Purity, Submissiveness, and Domesticity in all their relations. Women had few options when it came to areas of work, for education, for voicing opinions, or for supporting reform. Women were left to work and socialize with other women with in the home and the separate social setting offered to them within society. 

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The cult of true womanhood was not simply fostered by men[4].  Many women promoted and obsessed over the sphere of women. Sarah Hall published magazines that detailed the proper behavior of ladies in society. Other prominent women promoted women’s roles and women to bring those qualities into the classroom to “instill the proper moral code into future generations”[5]. Women created a culture within the sphere where women wielded considerable power and influence. 

The 19^th Century Gentleman

Nineteenth-Century men however enjoyed much richer social life than of the women of the day. The male social identity and his masculinity consisted of home, work and all-male association. Nineteenth-century men tended to the public sphere of work, politics, and government. Working class men left the home to work and provide for their family.  He was the breadwinner and head of his family and household. The 19^th century man was very concerned with image and reputation. He depended upon his sons to carry on this image and reputation after he departed this world. The success of his sons was determined on upbringing and the son’s ability to become independent. Nineteenth-Century men depended on encouragement they received in their youth to succeed as adult males. 

Conclusion

The 19^th century Victorian American society was much different than our family and social lives are today. The biggest difference is that today men and women are no longer socially separated by gender in social situations. Women are free to seek entertainment in lounges, bars, nightclubs, or wherever they please. Gentlemen’s clubs[6] for the most part are a thing of the past in United States. Schools and higher education are open for women and employment opportunities in middle and upper management continues to grow. Many, if not most, women have left the home to seek employment, placing their children in the care of semiprofessional childcare workers. Many men are choosing to stay home and out of the workforce to take on the role of homemaker.

The concepts of masculinity, success, and morality have also changed. What was once considered masculine is rapidly becoming sexists or considered bulling by our modern society. Two boys fighting on a playground has become an arrestable offense, rather than boys being boys. The American way of opportunity and rising through the classes to become socially and financially successful is becoming more and more difficult. Wealth and opportunity is not being passed on to the lower class or obtained by them as they seem content to downtrodden and accept handouts from the state. It would seem that our moral compass is broken as rapes, assaults, and other crimes of violence appear on the news in rapid succession. The question to be asked is, can we learn something from 19^th century social behavior that can improve our society while maintain the advancements we have mad? In my opinion the answer is yes. 

                                                                                          R.P. Black

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[1] Hartman, Dorothy. "Conner Prairie Interactive History Park." Lives-Of-Women.

[2] Roy, Anupama (2005). Gendered citizenship: historical and conceptual explorations. New Delhi: Orient Longman. p. 80–81.

[3] MacKethan, Lucinda. " America in Class." The Cult of Domesticity.

[4] "The Emergence of "Women's Sphere"" Ushistory.org.

[5] Catherine Beecher (1800-1878)

[6] Gentleman’s Club refers to social clubs for men only.