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The Cult of True Womanhood defined 19th-century American ideals for women, emphasizing piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. This ideology shaped societal expectations and roles for women, particularly in the upper and middle classes, while excluding many due to class and race. It also sparked resistance, leading to the women's rights movement and influencing future feminist waves.
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Women were expected to be the moral compass of the home
Women were expected to maintain chastity until marriage
Women were expected to be obedient and deferential to male authority
Men were expected to work and participate in politics in the public sphere
Women were expected to take care of the home and family in the private sphere
Religious tracts, women's magazines, and conduct books were used to promote the virtues of the Cult of True Womanhood
This influential publication played a crucial role in promoting the ideals of the Cult of True Womanhood
Working-class women, immigrants, and women of color were often unable to adhere to the standards of the Cult of True Womanhood due to economic constraints or societal prejudices
The Seneca Falls Convention marked a turning point in the fight for women's rights, with leaders advocating for suffrage and broader rights
Nonconformity to the ideals of the Cult of True Womanhood could lead to social ostracism, but it also galvanized the women's rights movement
The influence of the Cult of True Womanhood is evident in the 1950s' emphasis on domesticity and the subsequent second wave of feminism in the United States
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Cult of True Womanhood's societal impact
Reinforced gender roles; women in private sphere, men in public sphere.
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19th century women's virtues in the Cult
Piety, purity, submissiveness, domesticity; ideals for middle/upper class.
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Separate spheres ideology
Men's sphere: work, politics. Women's sphere: home, family.
