Ellen Richards And Emma Goldman's Ideas Of Equality For Women

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1.To some equality means fighting for the same rights and opportunities as others, or it may mean being able to live life knowing that you are not being discriminated by others, and given the same chance to live life as they want. Emma Goldman and Ellen Richards both had the idea of equality for women, but they both had very different ways of looking at it. They both thought that women should have a more significant role in society. Their ideas were completely different. Emma Goldman had a more revolutionist view on getting women more rights. She was willing to do whatever it took to make women more independent. Her ideas included giving up marriage in order to take out the influence of men controlling the relationship, which would lead to …show more content…

She thought that marriage was useless because it was just forcing women into that stereotypical role of a housewife. According to the article “The social and economic inequality of women made the institution of marriage the equivalent of the “oldest profession.” The only difference was whether a woman sold herself to one man or to many.” Goldman sought after equality for women by any means necessary. Emma was influenced by her rejection of selling her body
Ellen Richards had a more conservative way of looking at the equality of women. She thought it was better to show rather than to just say how women could be just as good as men. She went through her years at MIT and got her Masters, and tried to go for a PhD, but was not allowed to. She instead worked as a lab assistant there, and was able to publish books that encouraged women to be more efficient around the house, and to use chemistry and economics to establish a more stable household. Ellen Richards grew up in a family where women knew their place in the home, and yet being able to follow her love for …show more content…

She rather had used her abilities to help raise the women’s role in society. Her euthenics drew the attention of the Progressives. By bringing the efficiency to the homemakers, the Progressives felt that Richards ideas were inline with the goals of the era.
Goldman tried educating women about birth control, and to show them that there are better ways than just to have an abortion. Though she was sent to jail, she had educated women about using contraceptives. With her support and knowledge, she made it easier for women to understand what was important about birth control. “Although both sought to elevate women in their own ways, neither believed that winning political power had anything to do with it.” As stated in the article. Richards theories were used to pacify women, and make them more

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