Reflections on the Present Condition of the Female Sex
With Suggestions for its Improvement
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
Published:27th Apr '15
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
In this 1798 work, Wakefield suggests ways for women without the support of husband or family to earn a living.
In this 1798 work, a fascinating piece of social and feminist history, Wakefield suggests ways for women without the support of a husband or family to earn a living. Her ideas are not radical: she believes that marriage rather than independence is the best outcome for any woman.Coming from a prosperous London Quaker family, the author Priscilla Wakefield (1751–1832) wrote educational books for children, including an introduction to botany (also reissued in this series), and this 1798 work for adults, a fascinating piece of social and feminist history. Wakefield argues for better education for women, and suggests ways for those without the support of a husband or family to earn a living. Her ideas are not radical: she divides women into four social classes, with recommendations on appropriate work for each, and she believes that marriage rather than independence is the best outcome for any woman. Her concern for social norms is illustrated by her belief that field labour and any manufacturing job 'where both sexes are promiscuously assembled' are detrimental to female virtue. There are, however, many occupations which do not destroy 'the peculiar characteristic of their sex', or exceed 'the most exact limits of modesty and decorum'.
ISBN: 9781108084710
Dimensions: 216mm x 140mm x 13mm
Weight: 400g
208 pages