Editors | Dora Marsden Mary Gawthorpe |
---|---|
Categories | Feminist, Humanist |
Frequency | Weekly |
Format | Periodical |
Publisher | Stephen Swift |
Founder | Dora Marsden |
Founded | 1911 |
First issue | 23 November 1911 |
Final issue Number | 10 October 1912 Volume 2 No. 47 |
Country | England |
Language | English |
The Freewoman was an English feminist weekly review published between 23 November 1911 and 10 October 1912, and edited by founder Dora Marsden and Mary Gawthorpe. [1]
Although The Freewoman published articles on women's work for wages, housework, motherhood, the suffrage movement, and literature, its notoriety and influence rested on its frank discussions of sexuality, morality, and marriage. The Freewoman urged tolerance for male homosexuality, [2] advocated for free love, and encouraged women to remain unmarried.
Although its circulation probably never exceeded 200, The Freewoman had a significant influence in Modernist circles. Among its contributors were Rebecca West, H. G. Wells, Edward Carpenter, and Guy Aldred.
In March 1912 Gawthorpe resigned due to poor health and disagreements with Marsden. In September 1912, W H Smith refused to carry The Freewoman, and in October 1912, the journal folded. In June 1913 Marsden started The New Freewoman , which was concerned more with literary modernism than feminism and was funded by Harriet Shaw Weaver. In 1914, The New Freewoman became The Egoist.
The Freewoman was a feminist journal/newspaper published during the early twentieth century in Great Britain. Dora Marsden founded The Freewoman in November 1911, and her co-editor was Mary Gawthorpe. [3] Marsden relied on Gawthorpe's name and influence in feminist society to give the paper credibility and popularity. [4] The paper was rooted in more radical feminist ideals that stretched beyond suffrage. Marsden focused the paper around the discussion of sex and the idea of being sexual, which aroused controversy amongst readers. After the first issue of The Freewoman was published, numerous female readers who had grown up during the Victorian era of feminism, thought the views presented did not reflect their ideals of feminism. One of their main objections was the paper's open discussions and references to sex.
The first issue of the paper stated its intention to represent the feminist movement through intellectual thought by contemporary feminists. [5] It touched on issues of marriage, motherhood, sexuality, women's rights, and the domestic man. Some believed that its radical approach exceeded early twentieth century attitudes; however, its influence amongst the feminist and sexual radicals was greater than its small circulation implied. [6]
According to many of the female readers, The Freewoman expressed beliefs more radical than those held by most feminists during the early twentieth century. In the paper's first issue it discussed the definition of marriage. To The Freewoman marriage did not only mean men and women, nor did it mean that a couple had to have children. [7] To the women who were raised during the Victorian era, this concept of marriage did not register with them. Marriage in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, meant a man and woman and usually resulted in children. However, with the job opportunities and improved possibility of economic and social independence from the years preceding and during the Great War, some women forged identities separate from the confines of marriage. [8] As feminism began to increase during the twentieth century, the paper characterized these more radical feminists as 'The New Woman'.
The Freewoman began to redefine and transform feminism from being solely related to suffrage and the suffrage movement, but to show feminism in its purest form. [9] It said that feminists needed to strive for more than just the right to vote. Marsden's rather liberal and forward thinking opinion on the definition of feminism is what caused future debates amongst other prominent feminists of the time.
The New Woman was to be a politically, socially and economically independent woman. The Freewoman did not reject the domestic life that most women during the twentieth century lived, but rather used the domestic life of a woman as a tool to show women that they could take an active role in protecting their interests. [10]
In the paper's third issue, it discussed the idea of the domestic man. It suggested that a man could do the work of a woman in the domestic sphere. The goal was to “work towards the evolution of the New Housekeeping.” [11] Its rationale hinged on the argument that the house and its inner workings were no different from that of a restaurant or a milliner's shop. [12] The paper also suggested the idea of communal cooking, saying that if the man and woman divided the household duties, women could work outside of domestic life. This idea of the domestic man also supported the idea of the homosexual family. With a man being able to do the domestic work, it presented the idea that man and man could live as a couple. To say that this openly happened is not likely, however The Freewoman implied and even supported this life style choice. The paper again showed its liberal and progressive beliefs with its idea of the domestic man.
The Freewoman stated that: "It is high time for a reversal of the servile notion of government from above. Free government proceeds from the individual outwards, not from the sum total inwards. It is for this reason that, considering the trend of Syndicalism, we are of the opinion that it is likely to make a far more intimate appeal to the nation than Socialism ever has. Its aims are the same: the means of production and exchange to be the property of the community as a whole, but under Syndicalism the control of conditions of work are to be in the hands of those who perform it." [13]
With the papers candid nature of expressing many of its beliefs, there were bound to be arguments. One of it biggest criticisms and continuous debates with some readers came from its stance on the suffrage movement. [14] It openly challenged the ideals of the movement and its organization. Despite being co-edited, these views were mainly the opinions of Marsden and not Gawthorpe. With the paper's belief that feminism was more than just the right to vote, its views on the suffrage movement were unlike most feminists in Britain during the twentieth century. During this era women were fighting for the right to vote and to be regarded as political equals amongst men. Not all feminists believed in complete female independence from the strongholds of the normative female life. The Freewoman wanted to stray away from this concept of feminism. It wanted women to not only be politically equal, but economically and socially self-sufficient as well. It rooted its beliefs in complete female independence from the norms of society.
The publication of The Freewoman did not last long. Its final paper was published in 1912, but was later revived in May 1913 with the new title The New Freewoman. [15] Despite the attempts to revive the paper and inspire more readers, the paper finally ended publication in 1914. Its publication did not reach a large market, mostly due to its views on feminism and the suffrage movement. The paper, but more specifically Dora Marsden's beliefs and opinions were far too liberal and progressive for its early twentieth century audience. The audience was still rather conservative in their views. It would not be until the years of the Great War that women began to take small strides in some of the ideals that The Freewoman expressed. Despite having an extremely small circulation, the paper's strong beliefs and opinions were widely known and debated against and provided the impetus for future feminist activists.
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(help)Charlotte Perkins Gilman, also known by her first married name Charlotte Perkins Stetson, was an American humanist, novelist, writer, lecturer, advocate for social reform, and eugenicist. She was a utopian feminist and served as a role model for future generations of feminists because of her unorthodox concepts and lifestyle. Her works were primarily focused on gender, specifically gendered labor division in society, and the problem of male domination. She has been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. Her best remembered work today is her semi-autobiographical short story "The Yellow Wallpaper", which she wrote after a severe bout of postpartum psychosis.
Liberal feminism, also called mainstream feminism, is a main branch of feminism defined by its focus on achieving gender equality through political and legal reform within the framework of liberal democracy and informed by a human rights perspective. It is often considered culturally progressive and economically center-right to center-left. As the oldest of the "Big Three" schools of feminist thought, liberal feminism has its roots in 19th century first-wave feminism seeking recognition of women as equal citizens, focusing particularly on women's suffrage and access to education, the effort associated with 19th century liberalism and progressivism. Liberal feminism "works within the structure of mainstream society to integrate women into that structure." Liberal feminism places great emphasis on the public world, especially laws, political institutions, education and working life, and considers the denial of equal legal and political rights as the main obstacle to equality. As such liberal feminists have worked to bring women into the political mainstream. Liberal feminism is inclusive and socially progressive, while broadly supporting existing institutions of power in liberal democratic societies, and is associated with centrism and reformism. Liberal feminism tends to be adopted by white middle-class women who do not disagree with the current social structure; Zhang and Rios found that liberal feminism with its focus on equality is viewed as the dominant and "default" form of feminism. Liberal feminism actively supports men's involvement in feminism and both women and men have always been active participants in the movement; progressive men had an important role alongside women in the struggle for equal political rights since the movement was launched in the 19th century.
The history of feminism comprises the narratives of the movements and ideologies which have aimed at equal rights for women. While feminists around the world have differed in causes, goals, and intentions depending on time, culture, and country, most Western feminist historians assert that all movements that work to obtain women's rights should be considered feminist movements, even when they did not apply the term to themselves. Some other historians limit the term "feminist" to the modern feminist movement and its progeny, and use the label "protofeminist" to describe earlier movements.
The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom founded in 1903. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership and policies were tightly controlled by Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters Christabel and Sylvia. Sylvia was eventually expelled.
Dora Marsden was an English suffragette, editor of literary journals, and philosopher of language. Beginning her career as an activist in the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), Marsden eventually broke off from the suffragist organization in order to found a journal that would provide a space for more radical voices in the movement. Her prime importance lies with her contributions to the suffrage movement, her criticism of the Pankhursts' WSPU, and her radical feminism, via The Freewoman. There are those who also claim she has relevance to the emergence of literary modernism, while others value her contribution to the understanding of Egoism.
First-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity and thought that occurred during the 19th and early 20th century throughout the Western world. It focused on legal issues, primarily on securing women's right to vote. The term is often used synonymously with the kind of feminism espoused by the liberal women's rights movement with roots in the first wave, with organizations such as the International Alliance of Women and its affiliates. This feminist movement still focuses on equality from a mainly legal perspective.
The Egoist was a London literary magazine published from 1914 to 1919, during which time it published important early modernist poetry and fiction. In its manifesto, it claimed to "recognise no taboos", and published a number of controversial works, such as parts of Ulysses. Today, it is considered "England's most important Modernist periodical."
Harriet Shaw Weaver was an English political activist and a magazine editor. She was a significant patron of Irish writer James Joyce.
Rona Robinson was the first woman in the United Kingdom to gain a first-class degree in chemistry and one of the first documented female industrial chemists. She was also a British suffragette and paid member of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU).
Mary Eleanor Gawthorpe was an English suffragette, socialist, trade unionist and editor. She was described by Rebecca West as "a merry militant saint".
Social feminism is a feminist movement that advocates for social rights and special accommodations for women. It was first used to describe members of the women's suffrage movement in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who were concerned with social problems that affected women and children. They saw obtaining the vote mainly as a means to achieve their reform goals rather than a primary goal in itself. After women gained the right to vote, social feminism continued in the form of labor feminists who advocated for protectionist legislation and special benefits for women. The term is widely used, although some historians have questioned its validity.
Feminism in China refers to the collection of historical movements and ideologies in time aimed at redefining the role and status of women in China. Feminism in China began in the 20th century in tandem with the Chinese Revolution. Feminism in modern China is closely linked with socialism and class issues. Some commentators believe that this close association is damaging to Chinese feminism and argue that the interests of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are placed before those of women. Under the Xi Jinping administration, feminist groups have been subject to increased scrutiny by the country's system of mass surveillance.
Mabel Henrietta Capper was a British suffragette. She gave all her time between 1907 and 1913 to the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) as a 'soldier' in the struggle for women's suffrage. She was imprisoned six times, went on hunger strike and was one of the first suffragettes to be force-fed.
The feminist movement, also known as the women's movement, refers to a series of social movements and political campaigns for radical and liberal reforms on women's issues created by inequality between men and women. Such issues are women's liberation, reproductive rights, domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, women's suffrage, sexual harassment, and sexual violence. The movement's priorities have expanded since its beginning in the 1800s, and vary among nations and communities. Priorities range from opposition to female genital mutilation in one country, to opposition to the glass ceiling in another.
History of women in the United Kingdom covers the social, cultural, legal and political roles of women in Britain over the last 500 years and more.
Suffrajitsu is a term used to describe the application of martial arts or self-defence techniques by members of the Women's Social and Political Union during 1913/14. The term derives from a portmanteau of suffragette and jiu-jitsu and was first coined by an anonymous English journalist during March 1914.