Charlotte Perkins Gilman
American writer, lecturer and early sociologist (1860–1935); wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper" and Women and Economics.
At a glance
Main ideas
Economic independence, "There is no female mind", Housework as a profession …
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"The Yellow Wallpaper", Women and Economics, Herland …
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Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Gilman was an American humanist, novelist, lecturer and early sociologist, and a leading figure in the US women's rights movement.
- Her work centred on the gendered division of labour and male supremacism.
- She argued that economic independence was the only thing that could make women free and equal to men.
- From 1909 to 1916 she wrote and edited her own magazine, The Forerunner.
- Some of her writing describes other races as inferior.
Why it matters
- Women and Economics made her the leading intellectual of the women's movement almost overnight, and "The Yellow Wallpaper" remains her best-known story.
Key facts
- Born
- 3 Jul 1860, Hartford, Connecticut1
- Died
- 17 Aug 1935, by an overdose of chloroform, after a diagnosis of incurable breast cancer in 19321
- Also known as
- Charlotte Perkins Stetson, her first married name1
- Marriages
- Charles Walter Stetson, 1884 (separated 1888, divorced 1894); later Houghton Gilman, her first cousin1
- Sociology
- Member of the American Sociological Association from its founding in 1905 to her death1
- Honours
- National Women's Hall of Fame (1994)1
Main ideas
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Economic independence1
Women depend on men for their living; only economic independence can make them equal.
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"There is no female mind"1
"The brain is not an organ of sex": she held male aggression and confining maternal roles to be artificial.
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Housework as a profession2
Cooking, cleaning and child care could be done by paid specialists, with kitchenless houses and cooperative kitchens.
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An androcentric culture1
Women's contributions to civilisation have been held back by a culture built around men.
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Reform Darwinism1
She argued that Darwin's account of evolution saw only the male, and overlooked the female.
Books to start with
The line under a date fills as it gets older: empty when new, full at 2 years.
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"The Yellow Wallpaper"1
Semi-autobiographical short story, drawn from the rest cure she was prescribed for postpartum depression.
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Her case for women's economic independence.
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Herland1
Utopian feminist novel, serialised in The Forerunner.
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The Living of Charlotte Perkins Gilman1
Her autobiography, published after her death.
Connections
Writes
Links
Sources
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