Women and Economics

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

—

Title

Women and Economics

Language

en

Book source

Global Grey

Description max 80 words

Charlotte Perkins Gilman's pioneering feminist classic challenges the notion that women's economic dependence on men is natural. Gilman argues that this artificial condition, rather than biology, creates the social evils and psychological distortions plaguing both sexes. A foundational text for feminist theory, it advocates for women's economic independence as the key to social reform and human progress.

Summary up to 500 words

In 'Women and Economics,' Charlotte Perkins Gilman dismantles the traditional view of the family unit, arguing that the economic dependence of women on men is not a natural law but a harmful social construct. Gilman establishes that human character is fundamentally shaped by economic conditions, citing the Hebrew people's development as traders due to enforced restrictions as a prime example. She contrasts this with the animal kingdom, noting that female dependence on males is unique to humans and unnatural. This artificial dependence forces women into servitude, breeding specific psychological traits in both genders. Women, trained in submission, develop a narrow moral sense focused solely on their immediate family, while men, ruling over helpless dependents without competition, are bred into selfishness, cruelty, and a lust for power. Gilman describes the resulting human soul as a 'psychic hybrid,' a confused mix of primitive female and developed male traits that leads to the incongruous behavior of modern life. She refutes the notion that women's specialization in motherhood benefits the race, contending that economic dependence actually lowers birth rates and harms maternal health. Furthermore, she argues that the current system sacrifices women to 'sex-indulgence' rather than true reproductive necessity. The text highlights the rise of women's clubs and social organizations as evidence of a necessary social evolution where women are finding co-ordinate interests outside the family. Gilman concludes that restoring economic freedom to women will harmonize the human soul, allowing for a homogeneous nature bred of two parents in the same degree of social development. By removing the artificial barrier of economic dependence, society will evolve toward a state where ethical processes are natural rather than agonized struggles against impossible virtues. When the mother of the race is free, the world will improve through the calm forces of social evolution, ending the era of the 'sexuo-economic relation' that has darkened the spirit of man.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Women's Rights
• Society
• Economics