The early nineteenth-century America was loaded with women seeking better opportunities for themselves. The traditional family in this time included a working husband, a few kids, and a wife. The wife was expected to be submissive, pious, pure, and domestic. We will now focus on how women were trying to make a name for themselves in the real world, and the obstacles they faced.
Women were basically treated like slaves during this time period. Women were thought to have natural religion and had the important task of being "spiritual uplifters." Women were also expected to form a merry home and take care of her husband and family for whatever they needed. Church every Sunday was mandatory for a woman and they would be punished if they did not attend. With all these strict rules, a revolution occurred to make it easier for women to have their own life and responsibilities.
The Market Revolution raided America in the early nineteenth-century and brought upon many changes for women. Women were offered jobs in the textile industry and many took this change for granted. These working women were from New England, between the ages of fifteen and thirty years old, unmarried, and from middle-class farm families. The commercial production of the cloth and thread reduced the amount of work done in households. These women were paid considerably more than other women who were teachers, farm laborers, and domestic workers, which were the three major jobs for women.
Unlike other jobs, the textile industry was very demanding. Women working in this industry were put in boarding houses and were under strict regulations. Women were not allowed to have visitors at late hours, and could never act improper about anything. Their building and yard was expected to be clean at all times, and when snow was present the sidewalks must be visible. Any workers that obtained a sickness were to stay in a designated room by themselves to avoid exposing others.
