A Social History Of Women In Ireland 1870 1970

A Social History of Women in Ireland is an important and overdue book that explores the role and status of women in Ireland from 1870 until 1970, looking at politics, sociology, marriage patterns, religion, education and work among other topics. It provides a vital missing piece in the jigsaw of modern Irish history. Using a combination of primary research and published works, A Social History of Women in Ireland explores the role and status of women in Ireland. It examines lifestyle options available to women during this period as well as providing an overview of the forces working for change within Irish society. In bringing together a wide-ranging portfolio of material, A Social History of Women in Ireland 1870–1970 fills an important gap in the literature of the period by focusing on the experiences of Irish women, a group so often overlooked in histories of revolutionary men and prominent politicians. Crucial to a determination of the status of women throughout this period is an examination of the choices available regarding work, marriage and emigration. Rosemary Cullen Owens stresses at all times the importance of class and land ownership as key determinants for women's lives. A decrease in home industries allied to increasing mechanisation on the farm resulted in a contraction of labour opportunities for rural women. With the establishment of an independent farming class, the distinguishing criteria for status in rural Ireland became ownership of land, in which single-minded patriarchal figures dominated. In this context, the position of women declined, and a society evolved with a high pattern of late-age marriages, large numbers of unwed sons and daughters, and an accepted pattern of emigration. In the cities and towns, the condition of lower-working-class women was especially distressing for most of the period, with particular problems regarding housing, health and sanitation. Through the work of campaigning activists, equal educational and political rights were eventually attained. From the early 1900s there was some expansion in female employment in shops, offices and industry, but domestic service remained a high source of employment. For middle-class women, employment opportunities were limited and usually disappeared on marriage. The civil service — a major employer in an economy that was generally un-dynamic and stagnant — operated a bar on married women for much of the period. Rosemary Cullen Owens not merely traces these injustices but also the campaigns fought to right them. She locates these struggles in the wider social context in which they took place. This important book restores balance to the narrative of modern Irish history, changing the focus from key male political figures to society at large by unveiling the often forgotten story of the country's women over a tumultuous century of change. In doing so, Rosemary Cullen Owens enriches our understanding of Irish history from 1870 to 1970. A Social History of Women in Ireland: Table of Contents Introduction Part 1. Irishwomen in the Nineteenth Century - 'A progressively widening set of objectives'—The Early Women's Movement - Developments in Female Education - Faith and Philanthropy—Women and Religion Part 2. A New Century—Action and Reaction - Radical Suffrage Campaign - Feminism and Nationalism - Pacifism, Militarism and Republicanism Part 3. Marriage, Motherhood and Work - The Social and Economic Role of Women in Post-Famine Ireland - Trade Unions and Irish Women - Women and Work Part 4. Women in the New Irish State - The Quest for Equal Citizenship 1922–1938 - The Politicisation of Women Mid-Twentieth Century Epilogue: A Woman's World?

The first general survey of the history of women in early modern Ireland. Based on an impressive range of source material, it presents the results of original research into women’s lives and experiences in Ireland from 1500 to 1800. This was a time of considerable change in Ireland as English colonisation, religious reform and urbanisation transformed society on the island. Gaelic society based on dynastic lordships and Brehon Law gave way to an anglicised and centralised form of government and an English legal system.

Women in Ireland 1800-1918 presents a valuable and significant collection of over 100 sources and documents relating to the public and private aspects of women's lives in Ireland during the period 1800-1918. The documents reveal aspects of the women's working lives, educational experiences, involvement in politics and of their private lives such as contraception, childbirth, love, marriage and religion. Each section has a comprehensive introduction which discusses the contents of the documents. As the first major survey of Irish women's lives during this period, it will appeal to those who want a deeper understanding of how women of all classes lived their lives and it will prove indispensable to second and third level students, those attending women's studies courses, as well as a wide general readership interested in assessing the role of women in nineteenth and early twentieth-century Irish history.

This book is a collection of new research relating to Irish women's history. It is presented in sections on the themes of work, religion, political participation and gendered representations. These themes cover a wide diversity of female experience and are written in a clear, concise style to make them accessible to both the academic and popular reader. The book represents the largest time scale in Irish women's history to date, ranging from the 6th to 20th centuries. Contributors are from Ireland, the UK, the US, Australia and Russia and represent both academic and independent research. Contributors include well-known academics from the fields of women's history/ women's studies as well as scholars who are at the beginning of their careers.

Focusing on women's relationships, life-circumstances and agency, Elaine Farrell reveals the voices, emotions and decisions of incarcerated women and those affected by their imprisonment, offering an intimate insight into their experiences of the criminal justice system across urban and rural post-Famine Ireland.

Uncovering the hidden history of poetry written by women in Ireland from 1870 to 1970, this anthology includes more than 180 poems by fifteen women with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and creative aims. Challenging the assumption that women wrote little poetry of note during this period, this rich and original collection reveals the range of their achievement and the lasting value of their work. Presented alongside biographical sketches of their authors, the poems span the political and the personal. From nationalist ballads to modernist lyrics, this book is an essential resource for students and scholars of Irish literature.

An exciting collection of essays revealing the tremendous diversity of women's experiences in Ireland's past. For the first time, this unique book draws together key articles published in the field over the last two decades.

Draws from a wide range of disciplines to bring together 36 leading scholars writing about 400 years of modern Irish history