Van Le
HIST-1302-81420
PDA Essay
Word count: 282 words
PDA Essay: Voices of Freedom (Chapter 18)
Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "Women and Economics" (1898) and John Mitchell's "The
Workingman's Conception of Industrial Liberty" (1910) address the evolving dynamics of
economic freedom and liberty during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, albeit from different
perspectives. Gilman's work primarily addresses gender and women's economic emancipation,
while Mitchell's perspective revolves around labor rights and the working class's economic
freedom. To be more specific, Gilman's document advocates for women's economic independence as a
means to achieve genuine freedom. Gilman applauds the desire of young girls for independence
and the objection of wives to financial dependency. She envisions a world where women have
their own money and work for personal expression, improving marriages and mother-child
relationships. She foresees a radical change in women's economic status due to their desire for
long careers, impacting family life and society. This shift also involves promoting services like
laundries and nurseries to free married women from household chores for greater independence. In contrast, John Mitchell focuses on "industrial liberty" from a labor perspective,
emphasizing that true liberty goes beyond choosing employment, stressing economic security.
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