Gender Stereotypes And Gender Roles During The Civil War

Feminine Fighters They are many gender stereotypes and gender roles. They started long ago and have been changing since, some more than others. Women have always been seen as “a good nurturant attendant” (539). Caring mothers and efficient hostesses. And men have been seen as the “strong caretakers”. As the centuries progress, both genders have been breaking out of these boundaries. Something that women have recently achieved that is describing them more as the “strong caretaker is that they have been completely accepted into the military. During the Civil War, women helped supply soldiers with food, clothing, and even money, which they raised with fundraisers and fairs. These are the basic things expected from women, cooking, sewing and cleaning, and organization. They are expected to do all this to take care of their men. During the Civil War, women took a big jump for womankind, they made it to the front lines. They worked as nurses. They were inspired by Florence Nightingale, and they wanted to be more active in the war effort (History). However, many women still wanted to do more. They dressed as men and fought in the war themselves. Most were discovered in field hospitals after being wounded. Because of baggy uniforms and victorian sentiments of the time, women were not discovered as often a they …show more content…
The other women who disguised themselves as men to fight the war were no longer caring for men, they were caring for themselves and their country. As time go on and more wars are fought, women are accepted more as fighters. Women also escape the gender stereotypes of a man and a woman’s role when they take over the “men’s” jobs men go to war. There are still stereotypes about the roles of women, and some still do not think that women belong in the military. But this is changing, and hopefully it will be seen as normal