Topic > The issues of modernization and gender ideology

When the term modernization entered industrial society in the 19th century, it altered not only the social dynamics of society, but also the family structure. The transition from an agrarian lifestyle to urbanization meant that the position of householders [the patriarch of the family] away from the home was further extended. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayNew gender ideologies such as the domestic ideology and the free labor ideology influenced how society thought about the characteristics of the worker and the successful woman in the murder trial of Helen Jewett and Richard P. Robinson. The DI and FLI have brought about positive developments for American men and women, giving women purpose, authority, and value in their assigned roles and encouraging and motivating men to work towards financial success. Families before industrialization worked on the plantations of the homeland. Women spent most of their time at home, preparing meals, cleaning, and raising children, while men were engaged in more intensive work outside the home, on plantations, and in responsibilities beyond the farm. Both gender roles were directed at supporting and thriving the home and family. Modernization has transformed many aspects of the agrarian lifestyle from labor to capital-intensive and from rural to urban. The emergence of modernization in industrial America gave rise to two gender ideologies, the domestic ideology and the free labor ideology. These ideologies have changed the way women and men are viewed and the role they play in the public and private spheres. Domestic ideology is the justification that women belong to the more private sphere that is typically beholden to the home, family, and any economic relationship. In Domestic Ideology, women are seen as caregivers and a moral compass for society. Their place in the home is no longer seen as an expectation but as an important and beneficial role for society. Women are assigned the role of leader of the house. When the patriarch leaves, even the home front becomes a business for women. Women become the domestic experts in all financial domesticity. Lydia Maria Child, author of The American Frugal Housewife, contributed her book in the 1830s with a critical eye on "unpaid labor within the family" and embraces "family finances" and its ties. with the economy. The child explains how the women of the family can be used economically to support the family. Use the phrase “Time is money” to emphasize the need to save and recycle resources. The child gives an example; mothers can reuse “clothing scraps, curtains” and other low-cost materials to patch up and transform old fabric into something else useful. Child also emphasizes the importance of teaching children the meaning of financial economics and the importance of “considering every day lost in which some little thing has not been done to” improve the family economy (103). Even though women are subjected to these unrealistic expectations, there are also ideologies that are imposed on the male partner as well. FLI or Free Labor Ideology, is the idea that anyone can increase their status regardless of living conditions. Men can achieve financial success through self-improvement and self-control over themselves. This ideology is based on the idea of ​​education or learning an important skill that can be capitalized on. This could be becoming an apprentice or going toschool and receive an education, but the goal of free labor ideology is to improve and motivate oneself to achieve social mobility. This ideology is exemplified in the book Ragged Dick by Horatio Alger Jr, when Dick had a conversation with Frank's uncle, Mr. Whitney, about his rise up the social ladder. When Dick asked Mr. Whitney how he left the life of poverty, the older man advised Dick to pursue knowledge stating that he "must know something about books." Dick exemplifies the motivation that FLI supports through his determination to abandon the black boot lifestyle. He begins his journey by setting aside the “five dollars” that Mr. Whitney gave him in his bank book and makes the decision that “he would invest every penny he could save from his earnings into the fund he hoped to accumulate.” Dick was motivated to look to his future and find the self-control to save his earnings and one day find the opportunity to do something of his own. During the era of industrialization women were seen as pure. Domestic ideology believes that women possess innate characteristics that make them purer than men. The book The Murder of Helen Jewett, written by Patricia Cline Cohen, describes the murder of a prostitute named Helen Jewett and how it affected media and society change. Helen Jewett challenges the vision of domestic ideology. Throughout her childhood, Helen, formerly known as Dorcas, had attempted to fit the ideology when it came to taking care of the home and supporting her family. As a child, Dorcas had duties such as “cooking, sweeping, and laundry” along with the opportunity to further her education at a “Girl Academy in Portland and Boston” (187) where she would be taught household skills such as knitting, piano lessons and other tasks of the “social elite”. Helen Jewett rebels against this ideology when she was “driven to sin by the very necessity of their nature” (219), separated from her adoptive family, and led a life of “sin” as a prostitute. Public reactions to his occupation have been cast in multiple different lights. One journalist believes that Helen's murder and fall from grace can be seen as a testament to women being led astray by the path of domestic ideology. Helen's end is a lesson for women to "not follow the fallen girl through the passages of this love" and to resist these temptations, for "the fallen woman was defiled" (225). Helen Jewett is an anomaly, and her case has sparked equal parts amazement, fascination and disgust. However, the private and public spheres are not entirely separate from each other. These spheres are flexible and can come together at any time. Women who enter the workforce, for example working in factories, are excluded from the domestic ideology that strictly locates women at the hearth. The domestic ideology does not benefit all women, nor does it create other opportunities for other jobs. Women like Amy Galusha, a Lowell millwright who lived 1849-1851, left her parents' home and worked in the mills. His letters to his family talk about working conditions and the urbanized culture that differs from the agricultural lifestyle. Amy Galusha describes her scope of work as that of men in factories, explaining the difficult things men have to do, such as “keeping the looms and machinery in order,” while “the girls have nothing to do but take care of the work after it's all over." fixed and set in motion" (118). DI makes the role of women incredibly limited, there are no other options open to women. Those who venture beyond the farm to find,.