Andrew Webb

Women in the late nineteenth century were expected to behave politely in the presence of

others. Women were expected to get married at a very young age. Many women of the time period

were very unhappy about how they were treated. Some even turned to writing as a source of release

from the hold their husbands had on them. Women’s opinion inside the marriage did not matter very

much.

After Women got married a lot was expected from them. They were expected to have multiple

children. They also had to take care of the house and have dinner ready by the time the husband got

home. They were also expected to be obedient to her husband’s commands. Marriage at that time was

more about marrying into a wealthy family and not about love. Women were expected to stay married

to their husband until the day he died, divorce was very seldom. Women were very upset about the way

they were treated because of their gender.

Women all across the nation did not like the way they were being treated. Some women were

so miserable that they were happy to hear about their husband’s death. That meant that they would be

able to make their own decisions and think for themselves. Women were getting so tired of being

treated badly they did something about it. In 1848, the first women’s rights convention was held in New

York. There were a lot of female authors who wrote about the treatment of women and what it would

be like to be free of their husbands.

Kate Chopin is a great example of an author who wasn’t afraid to write what no one else would

write. She wrote, “The Story of an Hour” in which Mrs. Mallard, a married women, thought her husband

was dead and was happy, but later she finds out he’s alive and she commits suicide. Another great

example is Marge Piercy. In Piercy’s poem, “What’s the Smell in the Kitchen”, wives all over America

Andrew Webb

burn their husbands' dinners out of hatred for their husbands and dissatisfaction with their role as

housewife. Women desperately wanted to get out of their housewife role and make their own choices.

Women in the late nineteenth century wanted nothing more than respect. They wanted to be

able to make their own choices in life. The role women had played in the past and what society

expected from them made this goal very hard to accomplish. People like Kate Chopin and Marge

Piercy should be commended for their leadership in helping women be leaders in this country though

writing.