Character: December 5th, 1895
It has been a long time since I have written, almost over eight years. Since leaving my husband so much has changed. Georgina was not just a woman who discussed lunacy laws, she was a woman who helped me escape my marriage, escape who I used to be. I received my teaching degree from the University of London and have been teaching for the last couple of years. I am particularly fond of the time I spend in the library. Teaching does not provide much pay, but it's the next fight I have been working on with my peers. I was told that once my then husband found out that I left, he lost himself into a fit of rage. Stopped going to work, stopped talking to people, and eventually drank himself to death. Two birds, one stone. I never remarried, not out of independence but out of the lack of men who would want to be with a woman who has an opinion. I would rather be alone then ever be silenced again. I can finally say I am proud of my work, proud of my bravery, and proud of the little life I have made. Reading my past entries, I feel for the woman I used to be. I wish she could see how far we have come. I wish I could tell her it would all be okay. And, I wish she knew she deserved all the good things she used to dream of. I have become a new woman. A woman who stands up for herself and what she belives in. I do not know when I will write again, but when I do, I hope to be living a life I would be envious of today.
Researcher:
Recieving a degree during this time period was a feat most women were not able to accomplish. Historical facts show that most universities at the time either did not accept women into their instiutions, or they would only be accepted for certain degrees, the most prominant being teaching (Dublin, 9). Even with these degrees, women were also statistically not getting paid anywhere near their male counterparts. In fact, most men looked down upon women with degrees because they felt that if women were working, then their homes and children were not being taken care of (Dublin, 26). In this journal entry, she discusses, 'I never remarried, not out of independence but out of the lack of men who would want to be with a woman who has an opinion. I would rather be alone than ever be silenced again. I can finally say I am proud of my work, proud of my bravery, and proud of the little life I have made.' This is evidence on how women during this time would put themselves over a family, over finding love, to live life as an equal. This shows firsthand, the strength and the resiliance of the 'new woman' during this time period. In the past during the Industrial Revolution and even further back when women were working in textile mills, independence was at an all time low (Dublin, 47). The 'New Woman' era marks change, and shows growth. Most women, much like the woman who wrote this entry, would soon find independence in learning about and using the typewriter. The author of this journal pays tribute to what she has lost, while gaining her independence.
Dublin, Thomas. Transforming Women’s Work: New England Lives in the Industrial Revolution. Cornell University Press, 1995.
Dearnley, Elizabeth. “The Remarkable Story of the First Women to Attend a British University – and the Graduates They Inspired.” inews.co.uk, 14 Oct. 2020, inews.co.uk/news/long-reads/university-london-first-british-women-female-students-graduates-196752.