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19th Century Women's Roles Essay Example

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19th Century Women's Roles Essay Example
19th Century Women's Roles
Ibsen's A Doll's House shook the foundations of 19th century social expectancy and the way women were perceived at that time. Women's roles in society, the household and the workplace are apparent in A Doll's House but Ibsen also shifts and helps change the way women were perceived. The audience and critics (which were mostly men) were worried about the possibility of other women following Nora's lead and walking out and so the play was banned. The role Nora takes and what she does in the end was not seen as the appropriate thing for women to do at the time. Women were seen as the subordinate sex and were expected to stay at home and not work; especially if the woman was married. What Nora does in A Doll's House is comparable to the stand Natasha takes in The Bridegroom. Natasha takes a stand against arranged marriages and helps put a murderer in jail even though she was treated like an object. The role of women in society, in the household, and in the workplace has drastically changed since Ibsen's time in that women were treaty as objects and as an unequal, weaker sex than men.
Women in the 19th century did not, or were not allowed to; prosper in society or the workplace. They were expected to stay home and care for the home only. This means that women had no freedoms to work and earn there living, they are expected to work at home ( Encyclopedia of European Social History 1350-2000). In a Doll's House, Nora has to sneak her work. She copies things for money but not around Torvald. Women and men existed in separate spheres. They were inferior to men, had no protective legislation for the harassment women experienced. This means that Torvald sees himself separate from Nora, not as husband and wife but more as Husband and child. To objectify women was always the norm and women were looked down upon if they were married and working. There job was in the home, raising children and keeping things clean (Encyclopedia of European Social

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