The Changing Roles of Men and
Women in the United States
from 1894 until the present
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What was life like for men and
women in 1890 in the U.S.?
The 1890’s was part of the
second Industrial
Revolution—The Gilded
Age of substantial growth
in the U.S. population.
The extremely wealthy lived
lavishly and industries
grew.
There were huge disparities
between the rich and
poor.
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There were opulent homes ...
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And modest or poor homes and
living conditions
Tenement Home
Shotgun Style Home 1890
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The New South
The setting of the short story we will read today
• Civil War
• The New South
Reconstruction lasted
from 1865-1877.
• Many from the
poverty-stricken rural
Southern United
States were
employed in textile
jobs, including women
and children.
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From Farming to Industrial Living in
the United States
• What do you think life was like for families
in the United States in the 1890’s?
• What traditional roles do you believe men
and women fulfilled?
• Who had the power?
• Who handled child care?
• Were their roles complimentary?
Male/Female Roles on the Farm
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What roles did men and women fulfill on the farm?
Workers in Southern Textile Mills
Textile Mill
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A Few Things to Consider . . .
• African American men received the right to
vote with the passage of the 15th
Amendment in 1870.
• The Woman’s Suffrage Movement was
sidetracked by the Civil War.
• Women received the right to vote with the
passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920.
More Things to Consider . . .
• Property rights laws for married women
had not been passed in all states in the
United States as of 1890.
• Ownership of women’s property was
transferred to their husbands upon
marriage.
• Divorce carried social stigma and property
reverted to the husband.
Are men and women free
to choose their roles
today? In what ways are
they stifled or confined by
their assigned gender
roles?
Roles of Men and Women Today
• Men and women are free to work in any
profession they choose.
• Men or women may choose to work
outside the home or inside the home.
• Many men opt to stay home to raise their
children while their wives work.
• Men and women have a voice in
government and serve in political office.
Kate Chopin
February 8, 1850 – August 22, 1904
Brief Biography of Kate Chopin
• Born Catherine O’ Flaherty in St. Louis,
Missouri to a wealthy family.
• Lived in the City of St. Louis during the
Civil War.
• Married cotton trader, Oscar Chopin, in
1870.
• Gave birth to five sons and a daughter
between 1871 and 1879.
• Oscar died of malaria in 1882.
More about Kate Chopin
• Although she grieved the death of Oscar, her
writing career took off after his death.
• She published short stories in Harpers, Atlantic
Monthly and Vogue, some during her marriage.
• Her literary idol was Guy de Maupassant.
• She also studied:
• Charles Darwin
• Mary Wilkins Freeman
• Sarah Orne Jewett
Other Influences
• Kate and Oscar Chopin traveled
throughout the U.S. and Europe on their
honeymoon.
• She developed a progressive world-view
and a social conscience.
• She used her literature to bring women’s
issues, racial disparity, and social
inequalities to light.
Some of Kate Chopin’s Short
Stories
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
“The Storm”
“The Story of an Hour”
“Desiree’s Baby”
“A Pair of Silk Stockings”
“Athenaise”
“At the Cadian Ball”
“Lilacs”
“A Respectable Woman”
Kate Chopin’s Novels
• At Fault
• The Awakening
Prevalent Themes of Chopin’s
Short Stories and Novels
•
•
•
•
Inequities of traditional marriage
Motherhood
Class division
Arbitrary race distinctions in Southern
culture
• Women’s search for identity
• Women’s revolt against social norms and
conformity
Kate Chopin’s Home: Natchitoches
near Cloutierville Parish Louisiana
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The Story of an Hour
by Kate Chopin
Wikisource Librivox
Sources
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•
•
•
•
• Websites:
http://www.wic.org/misc/history.htm
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/366
305/Married-Womens-Property-Acts
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Story_of_an_H
our
http://www.1.cuny.edu/…/voting_cal/reconstructi
on.html
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid
/1414/context/archive
Sources Continued
• Gilbert, S.M., & Gubar, S. (1996). The norton
anthology literature by women: The traditions in
English (2nd ed.) New York: Norton & Co.
• Lewis, R. A., & Sussman, M. B. (1986). Men’s
changing roles in the family. New York: The
Hawarth Press.
• Goldfield, D., Abbott, C., Anderson, V.D.,
Argersinger, J.E., Argersinger, P.H., Barney,
W.L., et al. (2002). The American journey: A
history of the United States custom edition for
Texas Woman’s University. Boston: Pearson
Custom Publishing.