The advent of separate spheres in the northern middle classes, served to keep women in the home. Women were subordinate to their husbands and forced into a life of domesticity. During the early nineteenth century, women's role was seen in the cliche "that women were to liv

In the late eighteenth century and the beginning nineteenth century, economic production was shifted to work outside the home. Men had to give up some power in the home, because they could not control both spheres at one time. Because men were more ambitious and their concern was with money, their morality was questioned. The belief at this time was "if you are pursuing economic interest, then you are not concerned with the public good" (Lecture, 1/19). Men lacked virtue because of their ambitions. Since woman had no ambition within the home they were seen as morally superior. Women provided the moral support, nurture, and care that men needed after "working" in the world. Since home was "a place of salvation, the canon of domesticity tacitly acknowledged the capacity of modern work to desecrate the human spirit" (Cott, 67). Domesticity was seen as woman's "natural vocation" which is different than men, but "each is superior to each other in their respective departments of thought and action" (Cott, 74). Because of separate spheres the vocation of domesticity gave women the domestic sphere for their own "to control and influence" (Cott, 84).

One would presume that most women would opt to be single if they were being forced into subordination through marriage. Yet, this was not the case. During this period, young women that were single had to support themselves. Most work for women was in the textile mills. Although work gave these women some independence, they were subjected to grueling hours and were underpaid (Lecture, 1/26). The government taxed Workingwomen that were self-supporting. Because the conditions for single women in society were usually unfavorable and there was considerable pressure towards the morality of marriage, most women decided to marry. Once married, the women had to leave their work.

Separate Spheres created an ideology where women could finally be seen as equal to men. Although women's equality was confined to the domestic sphere, women were able to manipulate this construction of them as moral and virtuous. Woman's morality gave her a voice within the home, giving her some control over the actions of her family. By asserting the need for the help in the public sphere from the "virtuous" woman, women were able to extend their influence outside of the home. Women began to fight against alcoholism, prostitution, and slavery. Women gained strength and a ground for organizing in their fight against slavery. Separate spheres advanced the drive for women's rights. It had given women an identity of moral superiority, therefore allowing them to use this construction in their favor for securing a place in the public sphere. Once in the public sphere, women found ways to organize so that they could discu

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Approximate Word count = 1868
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)