How did the cult of domesticity effect women in the past?

Question

Christine Harper

Social Studies

14 October, 23:51

How did the cult of domesticity effect women in the past?

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Deshawn Harris · Answer 1

The cult of domesticity is a term that scholars use to refer to the value system in the 1800s that was applied among middle and upper-class women in the United States and the UK. The view was that a woman's role was taking care of her family in the home.

Explanation:

Women in this view had a series of virtues that made them "true women": piety, purity, domesticity, and submissiveness. According to Barbara Welter (1966) who coined the phrase "cult of domesticity," an ideal woman was "frail." It was not healthy for her to be exposed to the dangers outside her home. Her role was to take care of the family but she was dependent on men to protect her and provide money and shelter.