Women in the Second Industrial Revolution Essay -- Essays Papers

Women in the Second Industrial Revolution The Second Industrial Revolution had a major impact on women's lives. After being controlled fro so long women were experiencing what it was like to live an independent life. In the late nineteenth century women were participating in a variety of experiences, such as social disabilities confronted by all women, new employment patterns, and working class poverty and prostitution. These experiences will show how women were perceived in the Second Industrial Revolution. Women were confronted by many social obligation in the late nineteenth century. Women were living lives that reflected their social rank. They were expected to be economically dependent and legally inferior. No matter what class women were in, men were seen as the ones who go to work and make the money. That way, the women would have to be dependent since they were not able to go to work and make a good salary. No matter what class a woman was in, she could own property in her own name. When a woman became married she " lost control of any property she owned, inherited, or earned" ( Kagan et al. 569). A woman's legal identity was given to her husband. Getting a divorce was very difficult, most nations would not even end a marriage by having legal consent. Court trials were expensive which made it hard for a women to afford. Even if a divorce was granted the women would not receive anything. The children, land, house, and all of her belongings would be given to the man. If the father choose he could take the children away from the mother at any time and give them to someone else to raise and care for. The illustration above represents the typical appearence of a woman during the re... ...en started taking more of a stand on their beliefs. Women's movements started forming, which made it possible for women to get a higher education. Women became more intelligent and confident in their abilities to fight for more rights such as voting, higher pay in their jobs, and to be treated equally. Today women are the product of hard work and achievement and continue to gradually overcome their minority status. Works Cited 1. http://www.colby.edu/personal/rmscheck/GermanyB4.html 2. http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/bnf/bnf0006.html 3. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1873anthony.html 4. http://www.theblackswan.com/review/bits22.html 5. http://sol.slcc.edu/distance/inet/ecn274/women/education_1900.htm 6. Kagan, Donald et al. The Western Heritage Brief Edition. Prentice Hall, inc.1996. 7. Roberts, Nickie.Whores in History. Harper Collins, 1992.