Private Role Of Women In The Early Nineteenth Century

Prior to 1850, middle and working class activities were ultimately dominated by the gendered ideology of ‘separate spheres’. This ideology emphasised that men and women were to occupy distinct arenas: whilst women remained within the private domestic sphere of the home, men occupied the public sphere of politics, business and law. Prevailing ideas surrounding the distinction between femininity and masculinity became increasingly evident and translated into practice before 1850. Gender came to be considered as the power relations between men and women, whereby separate spheres of activity were institutionalised by the male counterparts as the culturally and socially hegemonic figure. Despite the established ideology of gendered spheres of activity,
Subsequently, this implies that women were not entirely restricted from the public sphere, which is often considered as monopolised by men. The social role of women in the early nineteenth century was surrounded by ambiguity and uncertainty as leisure activities increased, consequently obscuring the public-private divide. The rise of the department stores in the early nineteenth century allowed women to access public spaces. Shopping was deemed to be linked to the public mind and personal freedom, therefore changing the location of traditionally home-centred activities. However, this indicates that the private sphere of women was merely transferred to the department store. This argument is also held by McBride, who asserts that the department store furthered gendered spheres of activity. McBride demonstrates that the department store created a feminine universe and a ‘world of women’. Subsequently, rather than eliminating gendered spheres, leisure activities instead accentuated these divisions. Evidence of male dominated leisure activities such as the pub, which remained a ‘masculine republic’, further substantiates this assertion. Furthermore, sports were assumed to be a male activity, whereby women were assumed to attend as spectators or not at all. This therefore implies the separation of genders within leisure activities prevailed despite women’s increased access to the public sphere. Leach’s demonstration that the culture of consumption had a transformative, almost emancipatory, effect on women, contrasts the belief that this culture signified the masculine power of British Commerce. Therefore, whilst this consumer culture provided women with the opportunity to access the public sphere, men maintained dominance. It was not until the 1920s and the First World War that fashion trends for women altered and hemlines began to rise, illustrating the