The Home: Its Work and Influence by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman | Published: 1903
The Home: Its Work and Influence Synopsis
"The Home: Its Work and Influence" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a groundbreaking exploration of the role of the home in society. Published in 1903, Gilman challenges traditional notions of domesticity, arguing that the home should be a place of purposeful work and personal growth for women. She critiques the confinement of women to the domestic sphere and advocates for a reimagining of the home as a space for productive, intellectual, and creative endeavors. Gilman's work serves as a rallying cry for the recognition of women's potential beyond traditional gender roles and highlights the importance of an inclusive, balanced approach to domestic life. "The Home: Its Work and Influence" remains a significant feminist text, contributing to ongoing discussions about gender, domestic labor, and the evolution of societal norms.
Excerpt from The Home: Its Work and Influence Online Book
In offering this study to a public accustomed only to the unquestioning acceptance of the home as something perfect, holy, quite above discussion, a word of explanation is needed.
First, let it be clearly and definitely stated, the purpose of this book is to maintain and improve the home. Criticism there is, deep and thorough; but not with the intention of robbing us of one essential element of home life—rather of saving us from conditions not only unessential, but gravely detrimental to home life. Every human being should have a home; the single person his or her home; and the family their home.
About Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) was an American novelist, writer, and speaker who advocated for women’s rights and social reform. Her most famous work is “The Yellow Wallpaper” (1892), a short story that explored the theme of mental health, particularly in women. She also wrote many other works including Women and Economics (1898) and Herland (1915). Gilman was a key figure in the early feminist movement in America.
In her writing, she challenged traditional gender roles and explored themes such as motherhood, marriage, domesticity, economic independence for women, racism, eugenics, psychology, religion and other topics related to women’s rights. Throughout her life she continuously fought for equality of all genders and races through her writing. Find out more about Charlotte Perkins Gilman at sevenov.com.