Gender And Gender Roles In The 20th Century

Before Freud introduced psychoanalysis and psychosexual behavior in the 20th Century, women were extremely confined in their options for their sexuality and sexual behaviors. Women were restricted to the gender roles implemented by the law and customs, as means to enforce traditional marriages between men and women. It was difficult for a woman to form an emotional connection with men because of the deep gender segregation, so they formed close emotional relationships with their close female friends instead. This also made women cautious to form relationships and marry men, so physical intimacy had to be hidden through abortions, lest the woman would be forced into marrying a man she was not entirely ready to commit to. Emotional intimacy differed in regards to a woman 's romantic partner and friendships. At the time, there were rigid gender roles enforced on men and women, which segregated men and women 's social lives into same-sex groups. The segregation caused by these roles impacted women early on; they were always with their mothers. Women bonded and emotionally connected with their mothers in domestic life through assisting them with chores, and child-rearing. The

Marriage could take two close friends far away from each other, but the emotional intimacy continued to be strong, as demonstrated in letters sent to one-another. This was not considered strange, as the gender roles enforced on the men and women included restrictions on intimacy between young heterosexual couples. Men and women were segregated to the point that the lack of the opposite sex within their social circle stunted the emotional intimacy and spontaneity of romantic relationships. A woman 's close friend was a consistent source of emotional intimacy within a relationship, which strengthened the relationship between the two