WOMEN & ECONOMICS: A Study of the Economic Relation between Men and Women as a Factor in Social Evolution: From the famous American feminist, social reformer, sociologist and the author of The Yellow Wallpaper and Herland"Women and Economics" is a book written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and published in 1898. It is considered by many to be her single greatest work, and as with much of Gilman's writing, the book touched a few dominant themes: the transformation of marriage, the family, and the home, with her central argument: "the economic independence and specialization of women as essential to the improvement of marriage, motherhood, domestic industry, and racial improvement." The 1890s were a period of intense political debate and economic challenges, with the Women's Movement seeking the vote and other reforms. Women were "entering the work force in swelling numbers, seeking new opportunities, and shaping new definitions of themselves." It was near the end of this tumultuous decade that Gilman's very popular book emerged. Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) was a prominent American feminist, sociologist, novelist, writer of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction, and a lecturer for social reform. |
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action activities advance advantage ancestor worship animal baby become better carnivora chattel slavery child civilization common consciousness cooking degree desire distinction duty economic dependence economic relation economic status effect energy environment evil excessive sex-distinction expression family relation father feel feminine force freedom functions girl growing heredity higher human creature human female human race husband increasing individual industry injury instinct interest labor living maintained male marriage married masculine maternal maternal instinct method moral morbid motherhood natural natural selection necessity organic over-sexed pain polygamy position primitive processes produce progress qualities race-preservation racial reproduction Salic law savage sense servant sex-functions sex-relation sex-union sexual sexual selection sexuo sexuo-economic relation social evolution social relation society soul species Table of Contents tend tendency things to-day true virtues wife woman women young