Kate Chopin and the Women's Movement

The Women’s Movement is a series of campaigns for reforms on issues such as reproductive rights, domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, women’s suffrage, sexual harassment and sexual violence. The Women’s Movement began in the late 19th century and had three different waves. First-wave feminism was oriented around the middle or upper-class white women and involved suffrage and political equality. Second-wave feminism attempted to further combat social and cultural inequalities. Third-wave feminism includes renewed campaigning for women’s greater influence in politics.

The Women’s Movement occurred in the United states, Canada, and Western Europe. Women wanted to break the unfairness of women which included the issue of voting, lack of education, could not get jobs or own property, and getting married at young ages. Who is the author Kate Chopin? Kate Chopin is an American Author who was know as a feminist author during the time of the Women’s Movement. Kate was born before the Movement in 1851 and died in 1904. Kate Chopin wrote 2 novels and about 100 short stories in her time. Chopin’s writings were well known in the 1900s.

Kate Chopin would influence her pieces of writing towards the Women’s Movement. Including snippets of what occurred during the Women’s Movement in multiple of her short stories. These included, “Desiree’s Baby”, “Madame Celestin” and “Story of an Hour”. How did the Women’s Movement influence the writing of Kate Chopin? Kate chopin in her time would write about her feelings. She felt that women had a sexual appetite and deserved independence. This made her stories taboo in her time.

Kate originally did not plan to be a feminist writer. She just wrote as she saw life and how women were harmly mistreated. In one of her short stories “Desiree’s Baby” A wife and mother of her child were mistreated by her husband because of her race being black. She was poorly treated based on her discriminant. In another short story of Kate Chopin “Madame Celestine” Women were mistreated here also. Madame wanted a divorce from her husband but during the time of the Women’s Movement women had no right to a divorce.

When Kate published “The Awakening” in 1899, Kate Chopin startled her public with a frank portrayal of a woman’s social, sexual, and spiritual awakening. It told its particular truth without judgment. Kate did not write because of the influence of the Movement she wrote purposely on how she interpet life. How did the Women’s Movement affect people/relate to our world? The Women’s Movement impacted women in America. Since the Women’s Movement occurred in the 19th century many things have changed for women; Women can now vote starting at the age of 18.

Women were allowed to attend college and have the same professions as men. (doctor, lawyer, clergy and corporate.) Women got the right to own property. Women were allowed to be in the same social aspect as men. The Women’s Movement change the way women look at the world today.

Women are now more economically, socially and educationally more free. The Women’s Movement is similar to the Civil Rights Movement. Where women and blacks had it tough with no rights. But now that there is a Women’s Movement act and a Civil Rights act women and blacks now have more rights. How does Kate Chopin’s writings impact the readers and the world? After Kate Chopin died her writings went on the down low but now they are back and used in english classes around the United States and the world. Kate Chopin’s writing influenced her readers to look at life and take it all in.

Kate wrote about life and how she saw it and impacted how her readers looked at life, During her time of writing in the 19th century kate influenced women to look at life and to do the best the can too make the best out of their life.