The Cult of True Womanhood

The Cult of True Womanhood was a 19th-century ideology in America that defined the ideal characteristics of women. It emphasized four main virtues: piety (religious devotion), purity (sexual morality), submissiveness (obedience to men), and domesticity (dedication to home and family). This concept reinforced traditional gender roles, promoting the idea that women belonged in the domestic sphere, primarily as wives and mothers. It sought to elevate women's status by idealizing their roles while simultaneously restricting their freedoms and opportunities in the public realm, ultimately impacting the social and cultural landscape of the time.