Womanhood

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At the end of the 19th century very few women were able to live up to the guidelines of the Cult of True Womanhood. Only the recent forming middle class could afford to keep their wives at home but, the duties of a true woman were so many that even those who were dedicated to the wife role weren’t able to complete them. Slave women, poor women, and immigrant women, were those that worked outside the home throughout the 19th century. They didn’t just do housework, they worked in factories, and other people’s home where they didn’t feel secure.

I had read an article couple of weeks ago, and found out that there was some research done. It had said that the meaning of this era was a myth, it didn’t describe women’s lives effectively. It limited women’s goals for themselves, and they gained extreme anxiety and stress since it was hard for them to keep up with everything. This still exists today in some culture, where the husband is the head of the household and their wife was to stay at home and do all the household chores. My grandparents live in Mexico, and the way they live is much different than how my parents were. My grandfather was always working on his ranch while my grandmother was at home cleaning, cooking, knitting and what not. She was never really out of the house. She would ask my grandfather if she could go out with their friends or they would come over but only when he was out working. My parents on the other side mostly did everything together; such as, working, cleaning, and taking care of us. When one was at work the other would be taking care of us and do all the household chores and vice versa.

In conclusion, women were supposed to be in the house doing all the house hold chores and if they were to leave they lost their true womanhood and innocence. They became more stressful and gained anxiety, the effect that it left was that some cultures still follow this idea. When someone thinks of being a wife they automatically get a feeling that they are going to be doing all the household chores and be stuck at home while her husband is out working. This is because, maybe their parents lived that way or was taught to always follow her husband’s rules and stay faithful for the rest of her life or else she’s known as a “slut”.