Gender In E. L. Doctorow's Ragtime

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The progressive era is one known for a time in American history full of activism and reform, politically and socially. It is the era that brought the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th amendments which changed our country with voter reform, income taxes, women’s suffrage, and prohibition. One major proponent of these changes were women’s groups working for the equality of the sexes. In Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow, he tries to paint a vivid depiction of women and their sexuality and how it changes paralleling the suffrage movement of the time; however, the images of sex and language used towards women show their status as sex objects in the eyes of men, which contrasts their supposed gain of rights and status in society during the era. Through the use …show more content…
Father expects it from mother before he leaves for his expedition. Thaw pays Evelyn for it. Mother’s younger brother is obsessed with Evelyn, and in a sense follows her until he gets what he wants. But yet, it is still considered taboo in a sense. Father appreciates his wife not wanting to answer his “needs,” which juxtaposes his thoughts on the inuit woman, where he resents “this primitive woman’s claim to the gender (75)” because she is comfortable in her sexuality and its place in her culture. The concept of gender itself in American society was ignored until the 70’s and second wave feminism, most sociology investigating it only applied to men, looking at jobs and politics, women were mainly ignored and thought to only play their traditional role in the house. Gender roles in the progressive era also included the fact that men were considered partisan, and women nonpartisan; they were focused on issues on not politics. One Congressman at that time described women’s interests as not be able to “be roused very much by partisan strife.” This divide between men and women and the fact that the present political parties would not take up the platform of women’s enfranchisement resulted in the creation of the Progressive Party by Roosevelt in order to create a government that is more by the people and for the

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