Title: How Did the Roles of Women Change Over the Course of the Late 19th Century? | samanthacurtis
Headings: How Did the Roles of Women Change Over the Course of the Late 19th Century?
How Did the Roles of Women Change Over the Course of the Late 19th Century?
Content: There was little to no education for women and almost no opportunity for growth and advancement within the workplace. Along with the long-hours and hard working conditions, pregnant women were also expected to continue working up until their due date and return to work almost immediately afterward. Combining exhaustion with the sub-par medical practices of the time, most women had a severely low life expectancy and ended up literally working themselves to death. Toward the late 19 th century World War I broke out, also bringing on an increased demand for wartime goods and weaponry. With the men abroad, women stepped in to fill their shoes working in factories and acting as nurses to the wounded who returned home. This was the first time women were able to branch out in the workforce and try their hand at manual labor. Following the war came the Industrial Revolution, which increased production drastically, and the need for workers even more so than before. Utilizing this platform, women of the late 1800’s utilized it to increase their involvement in politics and enforce their right to vote. With these developments came a drastic shift from rural to city life and the lessening of women dealing only with domestic affairs. The end of the 19 th century marked a time of change and reform for women.