 | |
| Author | Charlotte Perkins Gilman |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Small, Maynard & Company, et al |
Publication date | 1898 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 389 |
Women and Economics – A Study of the Economic Relation Between Men and Women as a Factor in Social Evolution is a book written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and published in 1898. It is considered by many to be her single greatest work,[1] and as with much of Gilman's writing, the book touched a few dominant themes: the transformation of marriage, the family, and the home, with her central argument: “the economic independence and specialization of women as essential to the improvement of marriage, motherhood, domestic industry, and racial improvement.”[2]
The 1890s were a period of intense political debate and economic challenges, with the Women's Movement seeking the vote and other reforms. Women were “entering the work force in swelling numbers, seeking new opportunities, and shaping new definitions of themselves.”[3] It was near the end of this tumultuous decade that Gilman's very popular book emerged.
- ^ Michael Kimmel & Amy Aronson. “Introduction” to Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Women and Economics. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998.) p. xx
- ^ Michael Kimmel & Amy Aronson. “Introduction” to Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Women and Economics. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998.) p. xix
- ^ Mary A Hill. “Introduction” to Charlotte Perkins Gilman- The Making of a Radical Feminist 1860-1896. (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1980.) p. 4