Cult of Domesticity
The Cult of Domesticity:
Securing the 19th Century Woman in the Home
During the Antebellum age of America, new values and ideals began to arise. These ideals were reflected in the households of middle class citizens and grouped together to create the “Cult of Domesticity.” The cult helped form the foundation of female inferiority in the male dominated society. As “slaves” to the home, women were to uphold morals that were no longer relevant in the new industrialized world. The ideas that led to this treatment of women were drawn from religion, “scientific studies”, and the Industrial Revolution.
The Cult of Domesticity was created to work effortlessly with the middle class, and was also known as the “Perfect Family” (Myth). Prior to the Industrial Revolution, families were dependent on every family member to provide for the household. Men, women, and children alike, would cook, clean, and take care of the entire property (Cowan, 16). However, the Middle Class family after the Industrial Revolution consisted of a single wage earning father and a mother that stayed at home maintaining the household and the children, in a home isolated from the rest of society (Nussell, 1). It was believed at the time that a man belonged in the working world, known as the “Public Sphere”, and a woman belonged at home, known as the “Private Sphere”. The Public Sphere was immoral, full of temptation, violence, and trouble, while the Private Sphere was moral, passive, a haven where man could be protected (Lavender, 1). A man’s worth was constructed around how hard he worked and his political function, while a woman’s virtue was determined by her ability to provide a comfortable home for the family (Welter, Cult, 152). This resulted in a change as to how the household would be maintained. Cooking and cleaning would now be done by the woman, putting much time and effort into each task. The Industrial Revolution, however, produced more tools that served domesticity’s purpose, like
Securing the 19th Century Woman in the Home
During the Antebellum age of America, new values and ideals began to arise. These ideals were reflected in the households of middle class citizens and grouped together to create the “Cult of Domesticity.” The cult helped form the foundation of female inferiority in the male dominated society. As “slaves” to the home, women were to uphold morals that were no longer relevant in the new industrialized world. The ideas that led to this treatment of women were drawn from religion, “scientific studies”, and the Industrial Revolution.
The Cult of Domesticity was created to work effortlessly with the middle class, and was also known as the “Perfect Family” (Myth). Prior to the Industrial Revolution, families were dependent on every family member to provide for the household. Men, women, and children alike, would cook, clean, and take care of the entire property (Cowan, 16). However, the Middle Class family after the Industrial Revolution consisted of a single wage earning father and a mother that stayed at home maintaining the household and the children, in a home isolated from the rest of society (Nussell, 1). It was believed at the time that a man belonged in the working world, known as the “Public Sphere”, and a woman belonged at home, known as the “Private Sphere”. The Public Sphere was immoral, full of temptation, violence, and trouble, while the Private Sphere was moral, passive, a haven where man could be protected (Lavender, 1). A man’s worth was constructed around how hard he worked and his political function, while a woman’s virtue was determined by her ability to provide a comfortable home for the family (Welter, Cult, 152). This resulted in a change as to how the household would be maintained. Cooking and cleaning would now be done by the woman, putting much time and effort into each task. The Industrial Revolution, however, produced more tools that served domesticity’s purpose, like