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Content: The atmosphere of reform, combined with a broader job market and already changing lifestyles, gave rise to a new women’s movement. The growth of big business opened new fields for women, such as saleswoman and clerk, as well as bringing more women into the factory system. Mass production introduced household conveniences, which allowed more leisure time for middle class women. Educational opportunities expanded and a new generation of college graduates sought fulfillment in the world outside the home. However, women often found their efforts thwarted by a male-dominated society and a Victorian view of the female role. In most states, women could not vote, and in some states married women could not sign contracts without the consent of their husbands. As women tried to address the social problems of the day, they had to contend with the rather entrenched view that women were intellectually and emotionally inferior to men. The following sections depict how women organized to support social reform and to redefine the role of women at the last turn of the century. Settlement House Workers
Many women resented the restraints society placed on them. Jane Addams, founder of Hull House in Chicago, typified the attitudes of the first group of college-educated women.