Gender Spaces

Up until recently, women had little to no rights, and were sequestered to the same area to repeat the same mundane tasks every day, while men had much mobility, freedom and independence. Over time, the spaces have become more lenient and close to virtually non-existent in some parts of the world, while in other parts these spaces are as restricted as ever.
Emma displays the mobility of men and women in the early 19th century. Men such as Frank Churchill could go off whenever they pleased to do whatever they pleased. Frank decides to ride horseback by himself one day to London just for a haircut. Frank also mentions in passing his desire to travel, and men of his rank and monetary status could just pick up and leave on a whim to France or wherever they so choose.
Women, on the other hand, did not have that same mobility. Even though not always mentioned directly, it would have been highly inappropriate for Emma to walk around outside of her property by herself. Emma would always have a companion with her, such as Harriet or Mr. Knightly as an escort. If she did not have a friend, she would have to bring a housemaid with her. Women were sequestered to the same house and immediate area all of the time and could not just leave on horseback on a whim. Being alone with another man who is not related to them would be highly inappropriate which is partly why Emma was so insulted when Mr. Elton proposed to her. Even when being courted by another man, women always had a friend with them. Women in the early 19th century and before then were very limited and suppressed.
Mrs. Dalloway, written about a century later, displays a radical change from the 19th century. The book begins with Mrs. Dalloway out in the middle of London walking and window-shopping by herself. Men such as Peter were going off to India and other far away exotic places, and women were left to their own devices. Peter, from Mrs. Dalloway, reflects upon how even women will travel to parts of India and will now shamelessly flirt with whomever they like and do their makeup in front of other men on the ship. The early 20th century led to women’s suffrage and equal rights and the subtleties in Mrs. Dalloway is just the beginning.
Women do not have separate spaces anymore on public transportation and maybe that is in part the reason for the change in behavior. Men could no longer feasibly keep women separated from the outside world and namely other men when public transportation became popular. There are not separate spaces for women on buses like there are sometimes parlors for women in larger houses and separate coaches for women to travel in anymore, and when brought to the level of men, they could start to have some of the same freedoms such as going to get a haircut or window shopping by themselves on a whim.

Citation:

Austen, Jane. Emma London: Penguin, 1996. Print

Woolf, Virginia. “Mrs Dalloway.” Oxford University Press. 2009. Print.