Charlotte Perkins Gilman



Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Abstract

Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) was one of the first women that played the role in feminist concepts that we could recognize in her stories and lifestyle, which was the unusual for time in which she lived. It was the time when American society was highly male dominant, and the females had to depend on them not only for food, but also for all the decisions of their life. Gilman belief that women had hidden potential and could realize this potential when given equality both economically and socially in the nineteenth century was progressive. Gilman felt the extreme need for providing higher and quality education to the women, as it was the only way through which social and economic independence of women was possible. This paper describes the innovative concepts of Gilman regarding the autonomy of women of nineteenth century.

Introduction to Charlotte Perkins Gilman

She was a self educated woman and preferred to live for serving humanity, instead of an ordinary life (Simone, 1995). She was a leading American feminist novelist, sociologist, poet and short story writer; she also served as a lecturer of social reform. She undoubtedly lived as a role model for the women of her time, by establishing unorthodox lifestyle (Purvis, 2002). She got confused to choose between work and marriage when her lover proposed her. She tried to play the roles of a wife and mother, but could not fulfill the traditional responsibilities associated with these relationships. Hence, she separated herself from the family and relationships and dedicated herself for writing about the social reforms. She felt the strong desire to bring to light the issues which were faced by the women of the era, as they had to struggle against the male dominance in every area of life.

Gender Equity

Gilman redefined the womanhood in the very male dominant time. It was the period in America when women were highly dependent on the male members of family, even for taking their very personal decisions, such as about education, job and marriage. Ordinarily, all the decisions of the family were taken by the dominating males, and women were bound to obey them. The situation used to become more worsening for the women after marriage, when they were totally dependent on their husbands; women were bound to stay at home taking care of the household chores and children. There was no concept for women to pursue their career after marriage. It was necessary for a woman to sacrifice her career if she wanted to marry and proceed with the family life. It was due to these and many other reasons that women sometimes felt so much frustrated that marriage became a forced and unnatural arrangement

Gender equity remained the major focus of her writings and lectures; she believed that men and women were equal in all spheres of life and rights. Most women of her time believed that Gilman talked about a utopian world where a woman was well educated, well informed, free thinker, and ...