Women in the Late 19th Century

Women in the Late 19th Century

            During the late 1800s in, Americans had to endure many hardships in their lives simply to make do. Women, however, seem to have had it tougher during this era since they were perceived as inferior and incompetent compared to men. There were not many employment or advancement opportunities for the American women of the 19th century and they were mostly expected to housekeep and tend to the children. Aside from farm work, employment was uncommon for these women, with less than 20% (Female Work Force Participation Rate) of the work force being female in big cities and much smaller percentages in less populated areas. Even though women by this time had earned the right to an education, it was still very rare for women of this era to “obtain [a college] education . . .” (qtd. in Caplan). This was mainly because if a woman’s husband was opposed to the idea of her going to school, it was frowned upon in society to go “against her husband’s wishes . . .” (qtd. in Caplan). Divorce in the 19th century was also a very delicate subject and was frowned upon in society, often forcing a woman to stay with her husband just to avoid the shame and disapproval she would face if she left. Divorce also often tended to be more detrimental to the woman than the man since she would ultimately lose her main source of income and support and usually be left with nothing. Consequentially, women in the 19th century depended heavily on their husbands and were often times limited and held back from becoming independent due to the issues mentioned above.

In Willa Cather’s A Lost Lady, Marian Forrester, an upper class woman, is facing this 19th century struggle of female dependence on men. Mrs. Forrester’s high social class also plays a huge role in her stifled independence. After the death of Captain Forrester, she could no longer maintain her aristocratic lifestyle and her decline had become the talk of the town between the other women. She felt the need to maintain what was left of her social status and return to her glory days of wealth and class. Some might say that Mrs. Forrester acted selfishly by marrying Ivy Peters, who it was felt didn’t show her the respect she deserved. Upon re-evaluating her circumstances however, one can better understand her actions as a woman in the 19th century. She had lost her main source of financial support after being used to living a wealthy life style and given the times, it would have ruined her reputation as a high class woman if she were to start working. Her only choice really to save her reputation was to marry a wealthy man, like Ivy Peters, who could provide for her financially and give her the aristocratic life style she was accustomed to.

In the beginning of the story we see many examples of Mrs. Forrester’s aristocratic life style, one she was only able to have because of her husband’s successes and wealth. Women of her time, especially high class, aristocratic women, mainly depended on their husband’s wealth to provide them their fine life style. Since “[m]arried women were not supposed to work for wages, and were considered too pure and innocent to be out in the working world” (Family Life), Mrs. Forrester had no job of her own and thus no income to aid the Forrester home. “Wealthy women planned formal dinners, balls, and other social gatherings . . .” (Family Life), which was what she was commonly known for. Mrs. Forrester was fortunate to have a wealthy husband that supported all her financial needs while other women were forced to work in order to help provide for their families alongside their husbands. After her husband falls ill and later passes away, Mrs. Forrester sees her way of life slipping away as her main source of money and support are lost and she finds herself unable to fend for herself. Since Mrs. Forrester had relied on her husband for many years to support her, she very comfortable with her aristocratic life style. When her husband had passed away, she was no longer prosperous. Hitting rock bottom was a big change for the aristocrat and she struggled coping with it. Now that she wasn’t wealthy, she had no money to pay the housekeepers. She ended up tending the whole house herself.  Like most middle class woman, she “looked after the cleanliness of the house, made, mended and washed the clothes, prepared meals on the open fire…” (Wilson). She even tended and took care of the ill Captain Forrester before her passed away. Usually, “[w]hen husbands died or abandoned their families, women had no choice but to work . . .” (Family Life). For Mrs. Forrester, this was not an option. To avoid being the town gossip of being a working class woman, she sought the financial support of Ivy Peters, another wealthy and successful man. Aside from avoid the embarrassment and shame, getting a job wouldn’t have helped much in Mrs. Forrester’s case. In that era, “[w]ages for women’s work were low . . .” (Family Life), and it would not have been nearly enough to financially support herself.  Given these factors, it seems that woman of Mrs. Forrester’s time didn’t have the opportunity to be self-sufficient. They had no actual profession, but only basked in the successes of the professions of a male figure. This seemed to be their only option, since men at that time were expected to be the breadwinners and main support in a household. So in a way I have a better understanding of why Mrs. Forrester sought better life styles the way that she did. She had no other option.