Women in Literature Context

When was the first wave of feminism?

Mid 19th to early 20th century

The Married Women's Property Act (1870)

UK law allowing married women to legally own and control their own earnings and certain types of property, such as inherited money for the first time. Before this act, a woman's property and income legally passed to her husband upon marriage

When were women allowed to vote in the UK?

1918

How did wars disrupt 1st Wave feminism?

Women were sent to work in factories and farms

What post war attitude emerged?

There was a post war conservative movement to push women into domestic roles e.g. 1950s housewife

When was the 2nd feminist wave?

1960s and 70s

What did second wave feminism emphasise?

Pro Choice activism and liberal feminism fighting for equality. There was also a growing interest in the role of culture.

What were the 1970s Take Back the Night protests?

Protests against sexual violence against women

What was the ‘wages for housework’ movement?

An attempt to address the financial inequality women suffer from

When was the 3rd wave of feminism?

1990s

What did 3rd wave feminism address?

‘Blind spots’ in feminist thought particularly regarding intersectionality

Gender Trouble by Judith Butler (1990)

More focus on gender theory and gender as a social construct

When was the 4th wave of feminism?

Present day

What did 4th wave feminism focus on?

Issues such as online media, sexual violence and gender identity

When did the MeToo movement gain mass attention and what was it?

Founded in 2006 the MeToo movement gained mass attention in 2017 and was a movement against sexual violence against women

The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir (1949)

An epic account of women being defined as lesser throughout time and bridge between the 1st and 2nd wave

The Angel in the House by Coventry Patmore (1854)

A poem that describes the idealised Victorian women as modest and submissive.

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilmore (1892)

A woman's descent into psychosis while undergoing a "rest cure" for postpartum depression. Confined by her physician husband to a room with hideous yellow wallpaper, she becomes obsessed with its pattern, eventually believing a woman is trapped behind it, mirroring her own confinement.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (1847)

Jane suffers an abusive childhood and becomes a governess later in life. She falls for her employer, Edward Rochester, only to discover he is hiding a secret mad wife in the attic.

The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin (1972)

The story follows Joanna as she moves to a new neighbourhood. She soon discovers that the town’s men are replacing their intelligent, independent wives with compliant, domestic androids. Joanna attempts to escape her fate, but ultimately fails, becoming a robot herself

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (1985)

A dystopian novel set in Gilead a totalitarian society where women are forced into sexual servitude.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin (1899)

A landmark feminist novel following Edna Pontellier, a woman in 1890s Louisiana who struggles against societal constraints, pursuing personal, sexual, and artistic independence.

The Power of a Positive Woman by Phyllis Schlafly (1977)

In her book, she explained how it was by living a Christian life of devotion and motherhood that she saw herself as "liberated." The book provides criticism and arguments against radical feminism.

Sexual Politics by Kate Millet (1970)

Kate Millett was a key figure in the rise of Second Wave Feminism in America. Her book analysed patriarchal power and its institutionalised source (rather than the product of a biological or innate difference between genders).

The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan (1963)

Friedan’s book focused on the misery, self hatred, neurosis and frustration of suburban middle class housewives.