Women In Susan Glaspell's A Jury Of Her Peers

The short story, “A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell, sets out to provide insight as to how women were treated in early twentieth century society, moreover, to demonstrate how this treatment of women could push them to commit murder. The idea of inferiority was heavily present within this era’s society being that women were not seen as equal to their male counterparts. This time period was rich with feminist movements and overall the attempt of women to rise against their male oppressors. The presence of this gender inequality in the short story is what ultimately drives the women to defend the convicted Mrs. Wright. Although Mrs. Wright is accused of murder, she is in some sense pardoned by the other women because they can truly empathize

During this time period, “women’s roles in society were narrowly defined and few women were employed outside the home. Most of the women who were employed worked as nannies or maids, simply an extension of their role in the home” (Miller, 459). The women in the story appear to be housewives who merely stick by their husband’s sides. This supports the idea that women should be in the house and not lead any sort of productive life outside of the household. The men were the ones responsible for bringing in the money and keeping the family intact. In the story, Mrs. Peters is referred to as being the “sheriff’s wife” (Glaspell 49). This makes it seem as if Mrs. Peters has no true value in society aside from the fact that she is the wife of the sheriff. She in some sense acquires power and position through her husband’s career. The idea of women belonging in the household is solidified in the text when Mr. Hale says, “Dirty towels! Not much of a housekeeper, would you say, ladies?” (Glaspell 54) when referring to Mrs. Wright and her kitchen. Mr. Hale does not stray far from the quite typical superior mentality of males as he sees women as only being in charge of domestic duties such as cleaning and ensuring that the house is in order. Prior to 1920, when the 19th amendment was adopted granting women the right to vote, women were not allowed to have virtually any

Wright, they seem to stray away from the conversation and say things about their male counterparts such as, “Men’s hands aren’t always as clean as they might be” (Glaspell 54). This in some sense triggers a chain reaction and causes Mrs. Hale’s husband to say, “Ah, loyal to your sex, I see” (Glaspell 54). This solidifies the idea that the women banded together and looked out for one another because they felt that they could genuinely understand each other and even empathize. Towards the end of the story when the women begin to discuss all of the evidence they encountered Mrs. Hale