LITR 5439 Literary &
Historical Utopias
Research Posting 2009
LaKisha Jones
Charlotte Perkins Gilman's
Contribution to the Progressive Movement
As an African American woman in America I am keenly aware of the issues that plague women and minorities. So, while attaining a Masters in Criminology in 2006, I enrolled in a Women and Crime course that I felt would be interesting and identify issues plaguing women in our current society. Although the curriculum focused on the crimes women commit in society, the professor discussed societal roles of women from the beginning of time. What I found is that in many cultures, women were not granted the same liberties and privileges as their male counterparts. In all societies, with the exception of a few, women had one many prominent role, to have offspring and cater to their husbands and the home. Women were not equal and were looked at to be inferior to men. Women weren’t viewed as being strong, determined, intellectual, and business-minded― we were simply viewed as helpless second-hand citizens. My interest about women and their contribution to the Progressive Movement was intrigued even further as our class discussed Herland, a Utopian novel by reform activist Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Therefore, I questioned if social reform writers such as Charlotte Perkins Gilman really had an influence on the progressive movement of women during the 19th century.
My quest to investigate Gilman’s role, led me to first identify the role of the Progressive Movement itself. What I learned is that during the 19th century, majority of the Western Civilization was hit with an epiphany. This epiphany was a call to cure what many felt were ills of the American society, spawned through the development of industrial growth during the late 19th century. This idea and call for action was the Progressive Movement. Although Americans had brought Western Civilization to a tractable state with booming cities, business development and the establishment of overseas empires, many Americans, especially women and African Americans, were left out of the equation. The opportunity to vote was not so for women or African American men. Women played a vital role in the reform movement, advocating their own interests (voting) and a wide range of other social issue. Women also took aim to become leaders in other reform causes, joining associations pursuing political reform and providing social welfare services. Progressivism aimed to employ:
1. The desire to remove corruption and undue influence from government through the taming of bosses and political machines;
2. The effort to include more people more directly in the political process;
3. The conviction that government must play a role to solve social problems and establish fairness in economic matters.
Though, no one was more passionate about women’s rights and societal equality as Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Often reprimanded by her mother for being a “dreamer,” Gilman worked extensively, calling for a greater reform for women. Active in Nationalism, (a reform movement predicting the fall of capitalism) Gilman, was an avid supporter and advocate for Women’s rights.
From 1900-1920, the number of employed women remained stagnant at 20 percent. What’s more, women gained the opportunity to work outside of the home, yet the type of work they obtained switched from domestic labors to clerical, factory and professional work. Although while in the work field, women still held the lowest paying and least opportune job opportunities compared to men. Gilman called for greater reform and attacked the male monopoly on opportunity. She declared that domesticity was an obsolete value for women. Another of her well-known works is Women and Economics (1898) where she attacked the old division of social roles. Gilman also urged developers and entrepreneurs to build apartment homes so that women could combine motherhood and work. It seems that she understood the importance of motherhood, but also the importance of women to attain a divine purpose other than just motherhood.
Furthermore, her position on women’s rights and their roles in society were the highlights of her literary work. Her declaration that domesticity was an obsolete value for women is evident in her utopian narrative Herland (1915). It seems that while she worked diligently to end women’s suffrage, her literature was aimed at showing the capabilities of women. Herland, displays a society composed solely of women whom thrive and exist harmoniously without the domination and competitive nature of men. This utopian narrative was obviously an aim to react against social norms during the 19th century. In writing a utopic novel, Gilman idealizes an existence where women can flourish. She examined women’s role in society and advocated how institutions such as the home and the economy privilege men and keep women from achieving independence and equality. Her narrative Herland, where parthenogenesis occurs and all women are mothers, mirrors some aspects of her own life, where her father left her mother in fear of killing her in childbirth, and having her own best friend raise her daughter. Gilman’s investigation into the complexity of womanhood and motherhood lead not only her interest in women’s rights, but the societal role of women in general.
Gilman’s contribution to the Progressive Movement in respect to women’s suffrage was a major contribution during the time. Gilman researched and addressed issues in her narratives that others did not. Being disadvantageous her own life, she took those aspects of her poverty, mental illness, unsuccessful mothering, alienation―then researched and wrote about them. She produced fiction, non-fiction and poetry forcing America to hear the voice of women demanding suffrage. It is not a question of how much she contributed to the Progressive Movement and the interest of women’s rights, but what we in Western Civilization have learned about biased societal roles of women. Because of Gilman’s efforts, the Progressive Movement forced others to reconsider the meaning of equality and liberty in our Constitution. I know that as a woman I am not predisposed to getting married, having children and staying home all day playing “house.” I have an inalienable right and opportunity to pursue happiness and purpose in life, regardless of being a woman. The woman’s destiny is more than being a useless being in a life of mere non-existence. We are women, feminine, strong, determined focused, and the creators of life. Gilman voiced these notions to Western Civilization, and because of her voice people reacted against the social norms in Western Civilization.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
“Progressing into the 20th Century.” Nebraska Studies.org. July 2, 2009. Movementhttp://www.nebraskastudies.org/0700/frameset_reset.html?http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0700/stories/0701_0105.html
“Charlotte Perkins Gilman.” New World Encyclopedia. July 2, 2009. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Charlotte_Perkins_Gilman
“The Progressive Movement.” Oregon Coast Magazine Online. July 2, 2009. http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1061.html
“Progressive Movement.” Eagleton Institute of Politics . July 2, 9002. http://www.eagleton.rutgers.edu/e-gov/e-politicalarchive-Progressive.htm
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