Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Theory and Works

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

Gilman’s Theory and Other Sociologists’ Works
Conclusion
Works Cited

Charlotte Perkins Gilman was an American sociologist. Her works were primarily focused on gender, specifically gendered labor division in society, and the problem of male domination. The evolutionary social theory had a major influence on Gilman’s thought. Lengermann and Niebrugge called her a “reform social Darwinist” (112). Her argument contributed to the improvement of the current socio-economic arrangement of communities by offering an opportunity for wage labor for women.

Gilman’s Theory and Other Sociologists’ Works

There are common features of the theories suggested by Gilman, Durkheim, and Marx. They approached their work with confidence; their voices reflected their value as sociological theorists. Like other sociologists, Gilman presented the ideas that are part of classical theories; however, her input was innovative. She compared humans with other species, like Spencer, reflected on people’s societal development, like Durkheim, and specified social facts, like Marx and Durkheim. Gilman’s theory was also similar to other theorists’ works as she referred to the centrality of economic life and the significance of collective ideas (Lengermann and Niebrugge 124). Gilman’s functionalism resembled Spencer’s and Talcott’s theories rather than Durkheim’s one as it focused on the relations within a social system and not the collective representations that maintain social order. However, she defined social institutions as interactional patterns supported by societies and did not distinguish between micro and macro experience (Lengermann and Niebrugge 124). Unlike other social theorists, Gilman made her concepts accessible by providing examples of popular culture and referencing daily life. Her ideas referred to the common societal trends, which made them relatable for many people.

Notably, Gilman’s theory largely resembled the Marxian one. They shared the essential ideas on the quality of human existence, and the corruptness of contemporary society. Both authors agreed that there is a struggle for power in society. However, Gilman saw gender as a cause of social inequality, recognizing the conflict between women and men, while Marx built his ideas upon class, presenting the struggle between the owners of production and the working class. To support her point of view, Gilman developed a conceptual framework named “the sexuo-economic relation” (Lengermann and Niebrugge 117). It suggested that females are economically dependent on males, which is a unique feature of the human species. Like Marx, she also proposed social reform but for women, not the proletariat class.

The theories developed by Gilman and Durkheim shared some similarities too. For example, both of them were concerned about religion and presented it from various perspectives. The authors saw it as a central social reality. However, Durkheim’s works focused on “collective effervescence”, a shared experience of ritual participation (Crow 192). Gilman’s theories were concentrated on the connection between religion and gender. She suggested that women’s spirituality was connected to their birth and growth, while men’s religion was influenced by struggle, and death (Crow 192). However, Durkheim’s theory shared more similarities with Marx’s work as they both considered capitalism as a part of the modern division of labor.

Conclusion

Gilman’s theory was a significant contribution to the ideas of other classical sociological theories. She was the only theorist who built her work upon gender and sexual-economic relation, providing a unique perspective on the social order. Gilman highlighted the struggles women faced in their daily life and suggested the ways of their management. In my opinion, her ideas show that she was the grand theorist that wanted to reduce social inequality.

Works Cited

Crow, Graham. “Review of Utopia as Method: The Imaginary Reconstitution of Society.” Sociology of Religion, vol. 75, no. 2, 2015, pp. 189-207.

Lengermann, Patricia Madoo, and Gillian Niebrugge. The Women Founders: Sociology and Social Theory 1830–1930: A Text/Reader. Waveland Press, 2006.

Click Here To Order Now!

Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Theory and Works

Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?

We have qualified writers to help you.

We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.

You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)