Until 19th century the attitude towards gender was clear: there was a strict limit of occupations available to women as well as there was an established idea of what a good woman should be like. The prejudices of many centuries influenced this sharp definition between men’s and women’s role. Women were considered inferior to men in a number of aspects, which is why they were made mostly to undertake household duties, and were refrained from education or training in any professional sphere. However, with economic and technical progress in early 19th century women became more independent. Several factors influenced the beginning of emancipation.
First, more and more labor force was required by factories, offices etc. Men commuted to their place of work, leaving their families for a whole day. Taking into account that servants carried out all domestic duties in wealthy families, it can be suggested that women became more curious in the field of education and, thus, in male dominated spheres.
Second, as far as port cities are concerned, women here were mostly from a working-class background. In means that initially they were charged with greater number of duties and were less dependent. Port cities were always the moat important commerce centers, but male occupation there was mainly sailing. This circumstance contributed into further detachment of men from women and families. To support this, the article by G. MacPherson Hunter states that the majority of sailors did not have families or a rather small number of those who had ones still offered their families little attention and little financial support. An average sailor “craves light, music and a good cheer at the end of a voyage” (The Sailor and City Problems) They literally had no chance to know “good women”; “being essentially masculine, strongly sexed” they were not “susceptible to feminine influence” ( The Sailor and City Problems), thus, they knew only certain class of women whose duties were extremely limited. Although sailors were paid off at the end of every voyage, they used to gamble away large sums or spend money without thoughts and leave ports “minus his money and closes, with their first month’s wages mortgaged.” (The Sailor and City Problems)
Women in port cities had a chance to have a range of experiences. They life was completely different; they were an alternative image of frail and vulnerable women limited to the sphere of domestic duties. In various facets of port city life women even acquired a dominate role. Commerce sector had a tendency of globalization which impacted the lives of working-class women. They were engaged in producing goods, which then were shipped overseas. They went further and soon the image of a woman merchant was accepted in male dominated sphere. Someone may argue that women were even mentally superior to men, more responsible and ready for multitasking. However it may be, women started demonstrate entrepreneurial skills. Initially they ran business while men where offshore. This way they contributed a lot into securing trade. They were legally authorized to conduct business on behalf of their husbands. This factor strengthened women’s economical status. It has been mentioned previously, that men, especially sailors, left their families for a long period of time. Women had to manage families’ financial questions and commerce became central to many families. Very often boys and girls were exposed to commercial issues from early age. So, port cities created a vast range of opportunities for women of different classes and lineage.
Tradition stereotype of women role in society was broken. It was undoubtedly beneficial for commerce and trading, but this fact was also a starting point of first suffragists’ and then feminists’ movements which, had positive and negative consequences in long-term outlook. Let’s observe how the question of gender role is treated in the “South of the Slot” by Jack London.
Been a naturalist writer, J. London examined a double life of the protagonist from the point of view of the environment that influenced Freddie Drummond, first Doctor of Sociology and then a labor leader:
“Perhaps it was a recoil from his environment In his own world he was "Cold-Storage," but down below he was "Big" Bill Totts, who could drink and smoke, and slang and fight, and be an all-around favorite.” (South of the Slot) If first he got into the role of a worker because he needed some material for his researchers, later he “he came to doing the thing for the thing's sake.” (South of the Slot) His natural inclinations drew him away from somewhat passive life of Doctor of Sociology. The same happened to women in the cities that were commercial centers: once they were forced by circumstances to acquire a role equal to men’s one, they felt strong natural inclination and ability to run business and participate in trading. A reader is presented with such female character in this short story. Mary Condon manifested her independence when she first met Bill Totts. It was her resoluteness and spirit of enterprise that attracted first Bill Totts and later Freddie Drummond. They represent two different facets of life, and Bill Totts suddenly took an advantage because his nature was ready to changes and progress:
“The man beside her emitted an unearthly and uncultured yell and rose to his feet. She saw him spring over the front seat, leap to the broad rump of the wheeler, and from there gain the wagon.” (South of the Slot)
That man preferred a woman who possessed similar qualities. In the concluding part of the story the author mentioned several strikes organized by William Totts. It is known that the labor movement contributed a lot into economical development on the turn of the 20th century. The story shows that women also played an important role in it.
Comparing the ways gender role is presented in the article and in the short story, a reader gets a clear idea, that women’s role dependent on men’s will and limited by social norms was unproductive from the point of view of economy. Naturally, women had all abilities to be equal with men in business sphere; and finally, financial needs pushed them on the way of emancipation, which was beneficial for economic growth. Emancipation had granted women legal control over various forms of property. Both women descendants of wealthy families and those of working-class background as well as widows took great advantage of new opportunities. Since that comparative gender equality played an important role in securing forms of business relationships, which boost socioeconomic growth of port cities. This was a clear reason for government authorities to approve and encourage deviations from traditional gender expectations, since women’s participation in commercial, educational, and trading spheres supported government’s financial interests. Thus, having sprung from necessities, women’s entrepreneurial spirit developed their activities into an integral part of economical relationships in port cities.
Works cited
London, J. South of the Slot. Jacklondons.net. Web. 25 March 2016 at http://www.jacklondons.net/south_of_the_slot.html
G McPherson Hunter. The Sailor and City Problems. New York Observer and Chronicle: American Periodicals, 1906. Print.
