The Cult of True Womanhood Response

After reading “The Cult of True Womanhood” I realized how grateful I am for living in today’s world and not back in the nineteenth century.  One quote that stood out to me while reading the article was "The attributes of True Womanhood, by which a woman judged herself and was judged by her husband, her neighbors and society could be divided into four cardinal virtues - piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. Put them all together and they spelled mother, daughter, sisters, wife - woman." Women during the 1860s were expected to live out these virtues. If they failed to do so, they were not considered a “true woman.” Times have changed tremendously since the 19th century. A woman’s place in the home was considered to be in the kitchen and making her husband happy. Nowadays a woman has options as to where she wants to be, whether it be at home or at a job. The entire article describes the culture of that time. It goes to show you that culture is never permanent and can change every year. Women lived out their culture just like women today do. Culture is similar to fad and trends. At that time, it was normal and expected for women to live their lives as obedient women. In today’s culture it is normal for women to be independent from men and have their own careers. After reading the entire article, I was outraged. Knowing that my gender lived that lifestyle truly astonishes me. Women had a strict outline of how they were expected to behave. These days women do not have to be submissive nor fulfill domestic duties in the home, however, women will always have to endure the gender stereotype of women being a housewife.