The Doctrine of Separate Spheres refers to the belief that, proverbially, “the woman’s place is in the home,” and the man’s place is in the workforce earning money for the household and providing for his family. Sarah Josepha Hale adhered to this doctrine, believing it was the only area where women could excel, therefore the area where they rightly belonged. Hale was a progressive when it came to education, however, but the colleges she founded/help found were those offering an education mostly centered on domestic science.
The Doctrine of Separate Spheres is linked with the idea of Republican Motherhood—in that ideal the mother is responsible for the morality of her family, her own ‘republic.’ This puts a more positive, less limiting spin on Separate Spheres by making the home the most important sphere of all.
--Emily Page
1 comment:
So did Emily Page view this as a manipulative tactic of high-up political men to soothe the psyche of the less adamant women of the Women's suffrage movement, or did she view it as a legitimate doctrine?
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