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     In the early part of the 19th Century women were fairly isolated in the home, particularly middle class women, for whom running the household could be an all-encompassing task.  Fortunately, changes in the late 19th Century brought women more leisure time than ever before.  Denied an education and the right to vote, these women sought ways to better themselves and develop as people.

An explosion of clubs started in the mid-1800's with the formation of clubs designed by women, run by women and created for the betterment of women - clubs like Sorosis and the New England Women's Club led the way.  In 1890, the General Federation of Women's Clubs was founded as a place for the various women's clubs to work together.  To give an idea of the growth of the movement, sixty-six clubs initially formed the federation in 1890.  By 1916 there were over 2,000 clubs in the Federation.

Why would a group of social clubs for women be important to history?  Read on and see....


Notes on using this site:

• Begin at the entry labelled "Life for Women in the 19th Century"
• Scroll down to examine earlier posts
• To continue, at the bottom of the page click "older posts"
• Sources are listed on a separate page - marked by a tab at the top of the page
• Enjoy!