Women's Roles In The Romantic Era

1457 Words6 Pages

It all started with a simple thought, one that lead to a wish and some hope, then to talking and writing about that thought. Finally, it became an action, an action that several, considered to be the minority, fought and protested for about one hundred years and would not back down until they obtained their goals. This is what we call the Women’s Rights Movement. The role of women and men are exceedingly different from each other and this is a major topic and theme most talked about during the Romantic Era. Men, with the exception of breaking the law, could do anything they wanted without being criticized for it by society. Women, on the other hand, do not have that luxury and must follow the roles society has given them. They were discouraged …show more content…

Though it was not illegal, men refused to give them the equal rights because they deemed them as inferior and believed women should be subservient. The roles they were forced to assume included being a loving housewife, being educated on how to be an elegant lady and a good Hostess. They were expected to be able to take great care of their husbands and children, and cook and clean (in most cases they would hire maids to execute the housework). The role of a man, was to financially provide for his family and that was it. He could have mistresses and would not be looked down upon, but if a woman did that she would be shamed and regarded as an outcast. The roles of women are depicted in the works of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft; Jane, who shows women’s roles through her characters and Mary, who spoke about it and strongly tried to persuade women to change …show more content…

Bingley all display how society during the Romantic Era perceived the role of women to be. Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice to not only narrate the story of two people growing to love one another, but to also present what it was like for her, a woman, to live during her time period. Mrs. Bennet dedicated her life to getting all of her daughters married and out of the house, she mentions that it was her only wish in the beginning of the novel. As a woman, she should understand why Elizabeth does