Women's History Vocab Exam

Gender Division of Labor

The assignment of different tasks or roles to men and women in society, often rooted in cultural, economic, and historical factors.

Agency

The capacity of individuals to act independently and make choices, particularly in contexts where power dynamics are at play.

Hegemony

Dominance or leadership, particularly the cultural, ideological, or economic influence of a group over others.

Matrilineal

A social system in which lineage, inheritance, and descent are traced through the mother's side.

Two Spirit

A term used by some Indigenous cultures in North America to describe a person who embodies both masculine and feminine qualities, often considered a unique and respected role within their community.

Good Wife

A social expectation of women, particularly in 19th-century America, where a wife was expected to maintain a nurturing home and support her husband's success.

Disorderly Woman

A term used historically to describe women whose behavior deviated from social norms, often used to criminalize women's actions in public.

Indentured Servant

An individual who worked for a set period in exchange for passage to a new land, usually in the American colonies.

Tituba

A woman of African or Indigenous descent who was accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials.

Republican Motherhood

A concept in early American society where women were expected to educate their children, particularly sons, to be good citizens and uphold republican values.

Coverture

A legal doctrine in which a married woman's legal rights and obligations were subsumed by her husband.

Public Sphere

The public sphere refers to the space for political and economic activity, often associated with men, while the private sphere refers to the home and family, traditionally associated with women.

Private Sphere

The private sphere refers to the home and family, traditionally associated with women.

Economy of Scale

The cost advantage that arises when production increases, allowing businesses to reduce per-unit costs.

Mill Girl

A young woman who worked in textile mills, especially in New England during the 19th century.

Cult of True Womanhood

A 19th-century belief system that promoted four main virtues for women: piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity.

Domesticity

The idea that women's roles were centered around homemaking, family life, and caring for children.

Piety

Religious devotion and reverence, often considered one of the core virtues of a 'True Woman' in the 19th century.

Purity

A virtue linked to sexual and moral innocence, emphasizing a woman's chastity and modesty.

Obedience

The expectation that women, particularly wives, should submit to their husbands' authority and act according to societal norms.

Angel in the House

A 19th-century ideal of womanhood that depicted women as gentle, self-sacrificing figures who created a peaceful home environment.

Middle Passage

The horrific voyage that enslaved Africans were forced to endure across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas during the transatlantic slave trade.

Jezebel / Mammy (Stereotypes)

Stereotypes that portrayed Black women in derogatory ways—Jezebel as promiscuous and immoral, and Mammy as a loyal, maternal figure.