Women's Role In Social Reform

From 1790-1850, women’s economic, political, and social roles made significant advancement and women held an important role in political reform, but for the most part women’s role remained idly restricted to the home. The changing role of women led to many contextual changes with long-term ramifications. During this time period, women began to have a larger economic role in the work force, but the traditional role of women in the home kept most as housewives. Women began to work outside of the home in factories and domestic services, especially in New England. One example of this development was the Lowell Mill in Massachusetts. This mill employed many New England farm girls that would otherwise have been working at home. A major cause of this development was the Industrial Revolution. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, women mostly worked from home, but
Women began to work towards equal political rights during this time. One example is the women’s rights convention at Seneca Falls. There, women voiced their political opinions and pushed for the right to vote. In addition, women had a significant role in important reform movements such as temperance and abolition. One cause of the women’s rights movement and other reforms was the Second Great Awakening. It spurred new evangelical values that encouraged social reform. Despite their best efforts, women were still barred from politics and denied the right to vote. One example of this continuity was the abolitionist conference in Europe in which women were not allowed to participate in the discussion. Further, this continuity in women’s political role caused women to be denied the vote for years to come. One reason that women remained barred from politics was the abolitionist movement, which took the focus away from the women’s rights