The Journals of Martha E. McMillan

The New Woman Daughters who grew up during the mid- to late-nineteenth century were the first to question their mothers’ ideals of True Womanhood. Coming of age near the turn of the century saw “the late-century woman [amending] the concept of femininity bequeathed to her by her mother and [arriving] at a new understanding of ‘true womanhood’ consistent with her new material conditions” (Theriot 77). According to Theriot, “in the late nineteenth century, female control replaced female suffering as the cornerstone of femininity” (77). Economic, social, and political changes swept the nation in the 1870s and 1880s. Cities were large; immigration brought waves of newcomers; and material gains meant a different kind of life awaited young women. Writing in 1891, Mary A. Livermore expressed excitement for the new age of women’s education and entrance into professions previously open to men only. She notes that in many of these professions, men and women served alongside one another, men “graciously [acknowledging] the practical wisdom and virtue [women] bring to their duties” (124). Likewise, new policy changes afforded women more power, even when they were married. They were able to control land, able to gain custody of their children in a divorce, and could send their children to public school, lessening the burden on mothers to be everything for everyone (Theriot 80). Women could also take a more public role in everyday life, joining societies and clubs, because they weren’t expected to be at home all the time, always cooking, cleaning, and caring for children. A major development in the female sense of self occurred in the late nineteenth century. The physical education movement turned the female frailty ideal upside-down, instead giving a sense of power, ability, and strength to women (Theriot 81). Advancements in medicine allowed 178